


Moomins (and Snufkin) on The Riviera

by milky_red



Category: Moomins on The Riviera, Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Pining, basically moomins on the riviera but with snufkin, because let's face it, that movie would've been WAY BETTER if he'd been there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2020-04-12 12:46:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 33,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19132300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milky_red/pseuds/milky_red
Summary: Snufkin begrudgingly agrees to join his boyfriend's family trip to the Riviera- a wonderland of capitalism, materialism, and overstimulation. As the romance and glamor of the Riviera fractures the Moomin clan, Snufkin and Moomintroll's strong bond is put to the test.





	1. Bonfires and Boyfriends

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello! We got another fanfic that's more-or-less a rewrite/redux of an episode/movie because let's face it, i'm not that original. Once again, viewing the original is not required, but I would recommend checking it out, or at least doing a quick google search bc the artwork in that movie is BEAUTIFUL, and it's good to have visual reference. With that said, onwards and upwards!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which spring begins, a party is held, and springtime reunions commence.

For those that lived in Moominvalley, springtime was undoubtedly the most wonderful time of year. Of course, you'd be hard-pressed to find many places that didn't have some fondness for the season, but springtime was a very special time for this particular valley, because it was when the Moomins came out of hibernation! Yes, there were many families that lived in or near Moominvalley, some hibernated, some didn't. But the Moomins, of whom the valley was named after, were the heart and soul of their little dale, and as such, life in the valley more-or-less came to a halt whenever they settled in to hibernate for the winter. But none of that mattered tonight! It was finally springtime, winter was a long ways away in everybody's mind, and Moominpappa was throwing one of his famous parties to celebrate the new year ahead of them! The weather was still a bit cool from the previous winter, so Moominpappa set up a roaring bonfire on top of the cliff overlooking the sea.

"More wood, Moomin!" He called over to his son, who was currently scavenging in the grass.

"Yes Papa!" The young Moomintroll obliged, bringing over several branches for his father to add to the fire. 

It was a rather cloudy evening, which made it easy for the party guests to spot the glow of the fire from atop the cliff, signifying the commencement of said party. And oh what a party it was! Everyone in Moominvalley had shown up, Mrs. Fillyjonk and her children, the Seahorses, old men and old maids, even Stinky had been invited to the revelry! Sniff and Shadow provided music from their respective instruments, accordion and violin, and the festivities began! Moominpappa stood by the fire, of course, as he was the host, while Moominmamma went around serving refreshments to their guests as they danced and mingled. The air was filled with laughter as the guests drank themselves silly and danced around the warm glow of the fire, clapping and singing. However, there was one creature that wasn't participating in the festivities.

"Moomintroll?" Moominmamma approached her son, who sat far away with his back to the crowd, watching the forest with great interest, "Won't you come back to the party? We're all having such a wonderful time!"

"I can't." He said, not taking his eyes off the trees, "I'm waiting. It's the first day of Spring, you know."

"Yes, I know." She sighed, "Well we'd love to have you, if you change your mind." 

With that, she left her son to his self-appointed duty, as the partygoers continued to dance and sing without a care in the world.

"Attention!" The host of the party called, "Attention! I'd like to say a few words!"

One by one, the party guests all paused their activities to give their full attention to Moominpappa. Moomintroll craned his head to look over his shoulder at his Pappa.

"Thank you." He cleared his throat, "I have travelled many roads, all of them leading to one place. To this place! To Moominvalley! Where I can live in peace, plant potatoes, and dream."

"Here, here! to that!" A guest called out, ringing in a chorus of "Here, here!"

After that, all the party guests resumed their previous state and the revelries continued. Meanwhile, Moomintroll continued staring at the forest, looking for any sign of movement. Occasionally something would start rustling, which would give him a start, but it would just be a squirrel, or a bird, or a late party guest. Moomin gave a sigh, holding his head in his hands; he really did want to join the party, but he knew he just wouldn't have a good time, not without his boyfriend. So, he sat and waited while the party continued without him.

"Hey!" A feminine voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "What are you doing, sitting out here? The party's up there!" The voice belonged to Moomin's old friend/ex-girlfriend, Snorkmaiden.

"Oh! Hello Snorkmaiden." He said, before returning his eyes to the horizon, "I'm waiting for someone."

"Of course you are." She rolled her eyes, "It's always the same with you this time of year. You spend all your time mooning over that Snufkin and just let everything else pass you by!" Moomin didn't respond. Snorkmaiden threw down her hands in frustration, she and Moomin might not have been dating anymore, but she couldn't stand to see him missing such a wonderful party to pine for his beau. So she pulled him to his feet.  
"C'mon! At least join me for a dance!"

"What?" He looked back and forth between the forest and Snorkmaiden, "B-but, but Snufkin-"

"Will know where to find you! Now come on!" Despite his protests, she dragged him over to the party.  
The dance was a bit awkward as the two of them stood a ways apart from each other while they danced,since it wouldn't be appropriate for them to be too intimate with each other. So, the dance consisted of the two of them sort of clumsily shuffling while holding hands. The even got a few suspicious glances from partygoers, who knew Moomin to already be in a relationship.

"Isn't this nice?" Snorkmaiden tried to stir up some sort of conversation.

"Huh? Oh yes?" Moomin wasn't listening, as he kept on trying to look over his shoulder.

"Oh Moomin, really!" Snorkmaiden steered him away from the horizon, "I know you miss him, but this is a lovely party, and I don't want you to miss IT as well!"

"I know..." Moomin sighed, looking down at his feet "You're right, i'm sorry..."

Snorkmaiden winced. She badly wanted to help her friend, but it seemed like no matter what she did, Moomin was just going to spend the night being miserable. In her head, she weighed the pros and cons of allowing him to go back and wait, while they continued to shuffle around.

"Mind if I cut in?"

Snorkmaiden jumped at the sudden deep voice that came from behind her, whose owner was also tapping her on the shoulder. She whirled around to see a pale, big-nosed Mumrik dressed completely in green, with a pipe sticking out of his mouth.

"Snufkin!" Moomintroll just about squealed, as he ran into Snufkin's arms.  
Snorkmaiden gave a little contented sigh before going off to find someone else to dance with. Meanwhile, the two lovebirds picked up where they left off and began to dance; Snufkin with his hand on Moomin's shoulder, Moomin with his hand on Snufkin's waist, and their other hands interlocked with each other. The partygoers who had shot odd looks at Moomin and Snorkmaiden went back to their respective activities, satisfied with Snufkin's return.

"Snufkin..." Moomin looked to the Mumrik, doe-eyed.

"Moomintroll." The normally stoic Mumrik had a smile that reached his eyes, "How was your winter, my dear?"

"Oh you know, long. I didn't wake up this time, so that was good!" Moomin said as he and Snufkin swayed to the music, "Though i'm sure it doesn't compare at all to your winter!"

"Mmm." Snufkin gave his familiar noncommittal noise, while Moomin inched closer to lay his head on Snufkin's shoulder. Snufkin gave a little hum as he did so. The two boys continued to sway as the music bounced onwards and the other guests jovially danced along. Moomin and Snufkin were practically in their own little world as they danced beside the fire, neither feeling much need to break the silence, after all, they were going to have the entire summer together. Wisps of the fire twisted up into the sky as the night crawled onward; Springtime was here.


	2. Ships and Storms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which The Moomins go on a trip and Snufkin & Little My tag along

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left kudos and comments on my last chapter! Your kind words are all the encouragement I could need to keep writing! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

And so, the lazy days of spring came and went without conflict. Snufkin set up his campsite near the Moominhouse, and soon he and Moomintroll were back to their usual activities; hikes and fishing trips by day, stargazing and sleepovers by night, with Snufkin occasionally going off of his own for a bit. One day he had come back from a solo fishing trip to find that pirates had apparently crashed their ship nearby, in an incident that sounds much more interesting than it actually was, leaving behind a box of tropical seeds, a box of fireworks, and one Little My, whom they had been holding as a prisoner along with her sister. But none of that really has much to do with our main story, so we'll just put a pin in that for now, for tonight is where our tale truly begins.  
It was an absolutely lovely evening at the Moominhouse. The midday sun had set, leaving the valley in a lovely shade of lavender that was just bright enough that birds stayed out to sing their lovely songs, and the nice warm breeze allowed the Moomin family to sit outside in the garden to enjoy the twilight hours. Moominmamma and Moominpappa sat at their little gardenside table, reading and fiddling with paper respectively, Snorkmaiden relaxed in the hammock tied to the tree and flipped through one of her celebrity gossip magazines, Moomintroll relaxed in the branches of that very same tree to listen to the birds chippering, and Snufkin sat a ways away from the family on the steps to the beach, untying a knot that had formed on his fishing line. Moomintroll had picked up on his boyfriend's nonverbal cue to leave him be for the moment, and made no attempt sidle up next to him, no matter how much he may have wanted to. Instead, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the choir performance that was happening all around him.

"Listen to this!" Snorkmaiden's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "Film stars, socialites, and aristocrats are drinking champagne among the roses on the sunny terraces of the south!"  
Moomintroll looked down to observe the article Snorkmaiden was reading from, which included a two-page spread of one of the many beaches found on the French Riviera. It was quite warm-looking, with colorful umbrellas and large palm trees dotting the golden shoreline, and beyond that, buildings that reached the sky and seemed to radiate a sense of wealth and antiquity lay just above, giving off an undeniable glamour that even Moomin had to admire.

"Champagne among the roses..." Moominpappa muttered, a sort of admiration could be heard in his voice.

"And sunny terraces!" Snorkmaiden called over to him.

"Casinos, gambling, music, drinks! And the nobility!" He threw the paper airplane he'd been working on, allowing it to glide as it pleased.

Snorkmaiden read aloud from her magazine, "When asked why the Riviera, Miss Glamour replied- 'What a ridiculous question! Why the Riviera? It's simply l'evidence, darling!" Snorkmaiden sighed at the glossy depictions of Miss Glamour, "Oh...l'evidence...how glamorous~"

Moomintroll picked up the paper airplane that had flown onto his lap, "What does l'evidence mean?"

"Does it matter?" Snorkmaiden looked up from her magazine, "Why can't we go to the Riviera?"

"Why don't we go sailing in the moonlight?" Moominmamma broke her silence, causing Snufkin to become quite invested in where the conversation was going.

"A sea adventure! Good for the soul!" Moominpappa announced with his usual pomp.

"Why not?" Moomintroll threw the paper airplane, "Doesn't that sound lovely, Snufkin?"

"Have fun." Snufkin replied, not looking up from his fishing line.

"Wait, what?"

A breeze came in from the sea, taking Moominpappa's papers and Snorkmaiden's magazine with it.

"With luck, we'll be able to find the eye of the storm!" He noted, rather unobservant of his son's distress.

While his parents watched Snorkmaiden attempt to chase after her wayward magazine, Moomin jumped down from the branch to approach his boyfriend.

"Aren't you coming with us, Snufkin?" 

Snufkin kept his head down, knowing that if he looked up he'd see Moomin's big, pleading eyes, and there'd be no way for him to refuse. "You know I don't like those kinds of places, Moomin."

"Well yes, but..." Moomin fiddled with his hands, "But it's been so long since we've all gone out on a trip together...and it won't be any fun without you!"

Snufkin gave one of his noncommittal hums, something to confirm he'd heard what was said, but didn't bind him to anything. He tried to focus back on untying the knot in his fishing rod, but he could feel Moomintroll's eyes on his back, causing him to tense up. 

"Snufkin?"

The Mumrik in question didn't answer, it seemed that Moomintroll was being ignored, causing him to feel like quite the nuisance.

"Well," He turned to leave, so as to not upset Snufkin any further, "...sorry to bother you."

"Moomin, wait!" Snufkin called out despite himself, causing Moomin to turn around again.

Snufkin groaned to himself, why oh WHY couldn't he have just let Moomin leave? Why did his heart have to sink every time Moomin was even the slightest bit sad? He could feel Moomin staring at him with eyes full of hope, he'd have to be a monster to turn him down now. But still... _The Riviera_...he'd never been there exactly, but he'd been to plenty of places like it. They were all the same, filled with spoiled twits who'd never worked a day in their lives, everything privatized to everyone except said spoiled twits, loud noises wherever you went, so many people you could hardly get a minute alone, not a single speck of nature the found, ugh! It was an absolute nightmare! He avoided those places like the plague while on his journeys, so they only way you'd get him to voluntarily go was if he hit his head REALLY HARD, or if he'd gotten into the catnip again.

"S-Snufkin?"

...Or if you just so happened to be Moomintroll, the one creature Snufkin loved more than anything else in the world. The one creature who not only respected Snufkin's boundaries, but was always patient and accommodating to the Mumrik's needs, without asking anything in return except his company. The creature whom Snufkin was currently making miserable, all because he wouldn't just swallow his pride and do something Moomin liked for once.

"...It would really make you happy if I came?" He grumbled, already knowing the answer.

"Oh yes, Snufkin! Nothing would make me happier."

He winced. In that case, there was nothing that could be done. He turned to face Moomin, attempting to put on something that at least resembled a smile.

"Alright. I'll come with you Moomintroll." 

Moomin's face lit up, "Oh! Oh, Snufkin!"

He ran into his boyfriend's arms, laughing with such earnest glee that made it impossible to hold any sort of animosity towards him. Snufkin held his Moomin's waist with one hand and stroked the back of his head with the other; Moomintroll was happy, that was the only important thing in his mind. Even so, he held Moomin just a bit tighter as he tried to focus on his dearest Moomintroll, rather than the dark storm clouds creeping up over the horizon.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Soon enough, The Moomins had packed their things, boarded their little sailboat, and were on their merry way!

"Can I take the teller, Pappa?" Moomintroll asked as their sailboat left harbor. 

"Sorry son, it's not often I have this much fun!"

Their friends were all there to wave goodbye as the family sailed into the stormy sea. Snufkin rested his elbows on the back of the boat and watched the horizon disappear, fighting down the urge to jump ship and swim back to shore. Probably wouldn't do much good anyway, the sea was quite temperamental today, with large waves causing the ship to bounce and sway, threatening to flip over. Snufkin took a drag from his pipe, Moominpappa could probably handle it; and hey, maybe he'd get lucky and they'd get lost at sea. A giggling came from one of the knapsacks Moominmamma had tied together. "What was that?"

Moominmamma untied the knapsack in question, causing a bright orange topknot with a girl attached to pop out.

"It's me!" Little My declared.

"Little My! What a surprise!" Moominmamma raised her eyebrow, in that playfully quizative manner that mother's are known for.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world!"

 _That makes one of us._ Snufkin thought, taking another drag from his pipe.

"Look!" Moominpappa cried, in front of them had risen a wall of seawater that threatened crash down upon the little boat. But Moominpappa, being the experienced seadog he was, knew exactly what do to! They sailed straight on, their little ship climbing up the base of the wave as it rose higher and higher. Sure enough, their boat sailed all the way over the wave before it even had a chance to come down! The Moomins all laughed in delight at their Pappa's bravery, as he sailed on, undefeated! Yes, it looked like nothing, not even the storm, would prevent them from reaching The Riviera...


	3. The Riviera and Romance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which The Moomins come to the Riviera and learn the dangers of walking in the street

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who have seen the movie, you might be a little confused as to why I left out the scene of them getting lost on that one desert island before they reached The Riviera. Well put simply, I just couldn't find a way to have it flow naturally with the story, it just felt too much like some detour from the plot so I left it out. Even so, this chapter's a long one so strap in!

It had taken about 2 days of sailing, and a brief stop on a deserted island, but The Moomins had finally reached The Riviera! The sea had calmed down significantly from their bumpy first day out, allowing the Moomins to enter the sunny shores of the south without any trouble. And how sunny they were! The sun smiled down on The Riviera in a way that bathed everything from the swaying palm trees to the calm ocean in a radiant, golden gleam. Moomintroll had never seen a place like this in real life before, with a sparkling shoreline dotted with colorful umbrellas, and domed buildings that reached up to the sky. Much like everything else, they were painted shades of gold with blue tinting; each of them looked like some sort of palace. The Moomin clan all stared in awe at the shoreline as they came upon it, Little My hung on the mast for the purpose of feeling tall. All the while, Snufkin stayed at the rear of the boat, still resting cross-armed on the railing while watching the horizon, and suddenly feeling very stuffy. He cupped some water from the sea and rubbed it on his face, it was much warmer there than in Moominvalley!

"Is that it?" Moomintroll asked no one in particular.

"What odd looking houses..." Moominmamma chimed in.

"Hold this for me, would you?" Snufkin broke his silence to hand Moomin his hat.

"Oh, um, sure." Moomin obliged, his attention still fixed on the shoreline.

"The water is just like in the pictures!" Snorkmaiden cheered, "And full of pretty, bright stars..."

Moomin looked over the side of the boat to see that she was right. The rays from the sun illuminated the ocean in such a way that could observe its seafloor, which was brimming with coral, seaweed, and sea stars. You certainly wouldn't see those in Moominvalley!

"Thanks." Snufkin took his hat back while Moomin was preoccupied.

"Oh! You're welc-" Moomin's voice caught in his throat as soon as he turned his head. Snufkin had taken his dress off and was currently tying the arms around his hips, leaving him in his button-up undershirt with the arms rolled up all the way over his elbows. A hot blush spread all across Moomin's face, you certainly wouldn't see THAT in Moominvalley!  
Moominpappa pulled in as close to the shoreline as he could, but their landing bay was flanked by jagged stalagmites that jutted forward from the shallow waters. One by one, each of The Moomins exited the ship in awkward attempts to navigate over the pointy rocks and get onto land. First to disembark was Moominpappa, carrying his fireworks case that Little My sat atop of. Next was Moominmamma, carrying her tropical seeds, then Snorkmaiden, which left only Moomin and Snufkin in the little sailboat.

"Well...here we are." Snufkin watched his (sort of) in-laws attempt to walk over the rocky shoreline, making no motion to join them. Moomintroll, of course, immediately picked up on Snufkin's unenthusiastic tone.

"Come on, Snufkin!" He pulled the Mumrik to his feet, a smile in his eyes, "Let's go have an adventure together!"

He set one foot onto a stalagmite and immediately regretted it as the pointy tip dug into sole. Still, he attempted to shift his weight onto that foot, causing him to balance awkwardly with one foot still on the boat, holding Snufkin's paw all the while. He looked at his boyfriend and chuckled, trying to look like he knew what he was doing while shifting his weight from one foot to another. He ended up losing his balance when he tried to move his other foot, and fell into the water where his foot landed on another pointy substance. This one felt like a hundred needles piercing him at once!

"Ouch! Oh...help!"

Snufkin gave a slight groan and rolled his eyes, before jumping into the ocean after Moomin to take his hand and lead him to shore.

"Ouch..ouch..ouch!" Moomin whined as he attempting to limp along with Snufkin's pull.

"Alright, alright..." He comforted the fussing Moomin as they made it onto the sand, "Let me see..."

He lifted Moomintroll's foot to find a (rather surprised looking) sea urchin clinging to his boyfriend's foot. He took it off quite easily and threw it back into the shallow waters.

"Why do people in the south keep their hedgehogs in the water?!" Moomin asked indignantly, causing Snufkin to chuckle.

"Never you mind, dear." He took Moomin's paw in his own, "Let's try and catch up with the others."

The beach was very crowded and busy, as was typical for this time of year. Along with the socialites who owned villas here, there were countless others who had come to the Riviera on vacation in search of a nice, sunny place to celebrate the end of winter. Moomin and Snufkin walked hand-in-hand, following the others at a distance.

"Oh Moomin...are we really here?" Snorkmaiden looked around her in awe, "I want to see everything! Hurry up, you two!"

Snufkin grumbled something in response, keeping his head down to protect his eyes from the sun's glare. There were so many people here, all of them talking at once...it was almost impossible for Snufkin to even hear himself think. Then a car or speedboat would come roaring by, snapping Snufkin's out of his thoughts and causing him to prickle with irritation. Eventually the family made it out of the beach and onto the city streets, which were _even worse._ There weren't as many people walking around, most of them were either in the boutiques or on the beach, but the family was now surrounded by buildings. Snufkin was blocked in on all sides by houses and shops that stretched overhead, cutting off the sky; the only nature to be found were the palm trees that lined the sidewalk which were treated and trimmed to absolute perfection. Not a single leaf grew freely. His breath started to quicken, the air smelled of smog, and the heat seemed to beat down on his poor head. His stomach was beginning to churn as irritation turned into anxiety. Everything here was so opulent, so big, so polished...it all felt so wrong! Snufkin gripped Moomin's hand tighter, he stared down at the gravel as his head started to spin and bile started to rise in his throat...!

"Snufkin?" A gentle hand fell on his shoulder. Snufkin looked to Moomintroll, focusing on his comforting, yet concern-filled eyes. The Mumrik centered himself, steadying his breathing, and readjusting his senses to reality as his anxiety seeped away.

"Moomintroll." Snufkin replied, taking Moomin's paw off his shoulder and holding it between them, "It's alright...i'm fine now." He said, still panting a bit.

"Are you sure?" Moomin cupped Snufkin's cheek with his other paw, "I'm so sorry, I forgot how you get to be in crowded places-"

"No no, it's fine!" He took Moomin's paw off his cheek, and cupped the troll's face in his own paws, "It's fine dear, i'm fine."

He tilted his beloved's face down to place a kiss on top of his soft, furry head and tried to give him a reassuring smile.

"Moomin! Snufkin!" Snorkmaiden called from up the street, it seemed she and the others had gone ahead without the loverboys, "What are you doing over there? Come on!"

"Ah- come on Moomin! Don't want to get lost now!"

With that, the subject of Snufkin's discomfort was dropped.

The Moomins had walked a fair bit ahead while Moomin and Snufkin had been occupied. The couple found Moomin's parents, Snorkmaiden, and Little My waiting over by a wall that had "PRIVATE" written in big letters all across it. The family had stopped to admire the garden that was growing atop the barrier, which was filled with fruit trees and tropical plants that were caged in and planted upwards, so that no one off the street could stop to smell the flowers or pick the fruit off their branches. Unless you were Little My, since she somehow managed to climb over the wall and into the branches of an orange tree.

"We're here!" Moomin panted as he and Snufkin caught up with his family, "No need to worry!"

"Moomin dear!" Moominmamma said, "Look at this, a tree with real oranges!"

Moominpappa jumped up and down, trying to reach one of the oranges hanging from the tree, but it was too high up for common folk to grasp. Snufkin, meanwhile, took one look at the word "PRIVATE", and immediately started scaling the wall. He had joined Little My in the tree before anyone even realized what he was doing.

"Catch!" He threw down an orange for Moominpappa.

"Oh! Well thank you my boy!"

"S-Snufkin!" Moomintroll called, "Snufkin, dear! It says private!"

"Does it now?" Snufkin said, as he and Little My collected all the oranges, using Snufkin's dress as a bag, "How very interesting."  
Little My cackled at this.

Her cackling ceased as a car roared by. One of those big, expensive ones that took up too much space and spit out smog, driven by someone who was not nearly as observant as she should've been, as she was about a hair's distance away from running down The Moomins. Luckily, no such thing happened, but she did managed to knock poor Moomintroll and his mother off their feet, while Moominpappa shook in fear.

"That was close!" Little My remarked, still with a smile on her face, unlike Snufkin who watched on in horror.

"Audrey Glamour!" Snorkmaiden gaped, "She was in the front seat!"

"She could've run us over!" Moomintroll barked back.

"I know~" Snorkmaiden squealed, "She's so gorgeous! So beautiful! So...! So...! I have just seen Audrey Glamour and she was this...close..."

Snorkmaiden's voice petered off as she noticed the _intense_ way Snufkin was glaring down at her. Moominpappa and Mamma didn't look very pleased with her either, both of them wearing rather frustrated expressions that were quite atypical of them.

"A bit too close for my liking, dear." Moominmamma said, retrieving her husbands hat from where it had fallen.

Luckily for Snorkmaiden, The Moomins soon put the incident out of their heads on were on their merry way once again. Except for Snufkin, who hooked his arm around Moomintroll's shoulders and glared at any car that crossed his field of vision. Little My carried their sack of stolen oranges over her shoulder, like a burglar, and bit into one without bothering to unpeel it. Moomin shrunk a bit upon seeing the strange looks people were giving them as they passed by; he supposed they did look a bit odd, what with Little My cackling with her mouth full of orange bits, while Snufkin clung onto Moomintroll and carried a look of pure murder in his eyes. Snufkin and Little My were used to receiving odd looks from others; Moomin, however, was not, and he didn't know how to tune them out. So he stared at the ground, and tried to make himself as small as possible. Soon though, his parents came to a stop in front of another wall, though this one was much taller than the one they had come across earlier. It even had a gate, one with the words "WELCOME TO THE GRAND" atop it in big, black lettering.

"It does say welcome!" Snorkmaiden noted.

"They must have known we were coming!" Moominmamma agreed, "How nice of them!"

Snufkin opened his mouth, intending to explain the concept of a 'hotel' to Moominmamma, but then closed it again. After all, The Moomin family did need a place to stay, and Moomintroll was bound to get fussy if he couldn't sleep in a bed. So, what was the harm in just playing along for the time being? If worst came to worst, he'd have The Moomins out of the hotel and back onto to the sea before anyone could realize. He gave Moomintroll a rub on the shoulder and a kiss on the cheek.

_Just a few days here, and then we go. Not a big deal. Just make it through. Everything will be fine._


	4. Snufkin and The Socialites

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which The Moomins stay at a hotel, enjoy a meal, and join high society.

If one were to use one word to describe The Grand, it would be "big." If one were to use many words, they would probably be things like- "extravagant, luxurious, decadent, perfect, etc." And they would all be true! The Grand Hotel was utterly majestic; it was undoubtedly the biggest building The Moomins had seen that day, reaching up to the sky and stretching for acres. The family was practically ant-sized compared to it! It was, of course, painted a shade of gold, but a very light shade that reflected the sun quite nicely, giving it a sort of buttery look that contrasted quite well with its blue-tinted roof. The path leading up to the entrance was dotted with ficus trees that towered over the Moomins and were trimmed in such a way that ensured no wayward branches would be growing there, while a similarly-treated palm tree sat in the center of the path. Snufkin grumbled at the sight of them, inwardly mourning for their lives in captivity, but The Moomins didn't seem to share his sentiment.

"Oh...what a place!" Moominpappa said in awe.

"...I think it looks a bit _big_ dear...." Moominmamma said as they reached the entrance, "...Or perhaps i'm too small."

The stairway leading up to the entrance was flanked by two lion statues, and the doorway to the hotel was one of those awful revolving-doors that only a seasoned veteran could navigate without issue.

"What strange doors they have here in The South!" Mamma noted.

Moominpappa and Little My went in first, then Moominmamma, then Snorkmaiden, then Moomintroll. But before Snufkin had a chance to enter, Little My decided to "speed things up a bit!" and started running full speed in the revolving doorway! The poor Moomins spun round-and-round, their luggage flying out into the lobby before they themselves were flung to the floor, causing all eyes to be cast onto them. To add insult to injury, Snufkin entered afterwards, with no problems.

"If you're going to keep falling on your rear like this, i'll have to start carrying you around on my back!" Snufkin teased while helping Moomin to his feet.

"Bonjour." A man with a long nose dressed in an aubergine bellhop's uniform greeted them, "Do you desire a room?"

"A room?" Moominmamma got back on her feet, "How kind!"

"Your name?"

"It's Moomin."

" _De_ Moomin!" Moominpappa interjected, "We are the De Moomins, from the valley of the same name! Moominvalley!"

The bellhop gasped at this, apparently putting "De" in front of your family name was what it took to sound important around here.

"Of course, Monsieur De Moomin." He bowed, before snapping his fingers, "The Royal Suite!"

With that, The Moomins were led up the grand staircase by a similarly dressed man, while a whole line of long-nosed men dressed in gold-lined aubergine suits bowed at them while they passed. As they walked, Moomin took note of the distance that had suddenly come between him and Snufkin, the Mumrik looked a great deal more tense now that they were inside; his shoulders hunched, he kept his eyes to the floor, and there was a unmistakable glower on his face. Moomin tried to reach over and take his hand, but Snufkin just walked on ahead, leaving a pinprick of hurt to become lodged in Moomin's chest.

 _Houses. He hates houses._ Moomin tried to remind himself, _He's just stressed. He needs some space_

Still, it isn't fun to be rebuffed by the person you love. So Moomin ended up carrying that pinprick with him all the way up to The Royal Suite. But, oh! How royal the suite was! It was bigger than any room in Moominhouse, and painted a dreamy shade of yellow ochre and burnt sienna. In the center of the room, there was glass chandelier that looked to be made of pure diamonds, and off to the side there was a gold canopy bed big enough for four people at once! There was even a balcony flanked by velvet curtains, from which one could view the terrace! Moomin and Little My immediately took to jumping on the bed, Snorkmaiden went onto the balcony, and Moominmamma and Pappa got settled.

"Oh..." Moominpappa grunted as he sunk into a velvet armchair, "This is the life I was born for!"

"They've got a huge swimming pool, and it's full of film stars!" Snorkmaiden called from the balcony, "There she is! It's Audrey Glamour!"

Snorkmaiden practically bolted out the door to see her beloved Audrey. Snufkin rolled his eyes, as he set up his tent in the corner of the room.

"Would you like any help?" Moomintroll called over, now sitting on the bed.

"No thanks, love." Snufkin said, using his gentle tone that he would only use to signal to Moomin that he wasn't upset with him, and just needed to be alone.

Moomin picked up on this, and appreciated it. But he still couldn't help feeling anxious, especially when Snufkin disappeared into his tent. As soon as Snufkin zipped up the entrance he was dead to the world, and no one knew this better than Moomintroll. Little My kept happily bouncing on the humongous bed, but Moomintroll sulked on over to the balcony instead. Resting his elbows on the railing, he watched Snorkmaiden interact with that celebrity she kept going on about. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying from up here, but he supposed it really didn't matter. The pool did look quite inviting, and it was a terribly warm day, maybe Snufkin would join him for a swim later... Wait, no, Snufkin would despise the chlorine-filled waters, and he couldn't imagine the Mumrik would want to head to the beach when there was all those people there! Oh Snufkin...Moomin had been so excited at the idea of a family trip that he'd completely forgotten the discomfort that places like these brought his beloved. And now Snufkin was making himself miserable all because of _him,_ how could Moomintroll have been so inconsiderate?!

"Moomintroll, dear."

Moomin turned to see his mother carrying a tray of tea, while his father attempting to move the coffee table onto the bed.

"Why don't you help your father get our new home set up? This place seems awfully too big for us, so we're going to live on the table instead."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Remember, we the _De_ Moomins. We are the _creme_ in the _cream_." Moominpappa said, as they were led onto to the sun deck by a man in a tuxedo.

After the Moomins had finished settling into their suite, they noticed that it was lunchtime, and decided to see what sort of food they could find at The Grand. They had quite an unusual terrace here, it was quite large, and filled with tables and chairs covered with umbrellas. At those tables sat very pretty people who gave The Moomins very funny looks as they passed by. Little My made faces at them right back as she sat on Pappa's hat, while Snufkin just followed the family, with his hands in his pockets. Moomintroll so dearly wanted to look over his shoulder to check on Snufkin, but couldn't do so discreetly with the Mumrik all the way at the back.

"Your table." The long-snouted man said, pulling out a chair for Moominmamma. "For hors d'oevres we have caviar, perfumed melon, or nougat in hedgehog nest."

"Delicious~" Snorkmaiden squealed.

"Which one?" Moomintroll said.

"All of them, silly!"

"Just a glass of water and bowl of porridge, please." Moominmamma said.

"I'd like a steak!" Little My yelled, slapping her palms on the table.

"A bowl of peas and a cup of coffee over here." Snufkin said.

The suited man nodded and snapped his fingers. Within seconds, a team of similarly dressed men came up the stairs onto the dining floor, each carrying a covered dish. 

"Oh, no time at all" Mamma chirped, as a a dish was placed before her. Soon, everyone at the table had a covered dish placed in front of them, then in perfect synch, the well-dressed men removed the coverings all at once.

"Madame, Monsieur, bon appétit."

With that, The Moomins were left to their meal. Little My wolfed down her t-bone steak in the span of five seconds, while Moominmamma examined the seltzer bottle that their water was served in.

"How do we get the water out of this?"

Unfortunately, she pulled on the handle while pointed the nozzle at her face, causing her to become doused with perrier, and catching the attention of all the other patrons on the sun deck. When Moominmamma opened her eyes, she saw an array of pretty faces staring at her from their tables.

"Everyone's looking at us...hide us dear! I'm so embarrassed!"

Moomintroll pulled down the umbrella shading the table, allowing the Moomins to hide underneath it.

"Oh. That's better!"

Snufkin, however, pulled his meal away before the umbrella came down, and got up to eat somewhere else.

"Mamma?" Moomintroll said without thinking, "May I go eat with Snufkin?"

"Of course dear!" Mamma said, trying to eat her porridge without getting her face smushed in it.

Moomintroll grabbed his plate and wriggled out from under the umbrella. He ran off to find his boyfriend on the staircase leading to the beach, sitting on the bottom step. Moomintroll rushed to join him, but then stopped to think; Snufkin had probably been hoping to enjoy his meal alone, and Moomin was once again invading his space. Oh dear, oh dear...he turned to go back to his table, but he already told Mamma he would be joining Snufkin, it would be so awkward to come back now! Perhaps he could sit at one of the empty tables? But oh, he didn't want to eat all alone, everyone would stare at him! Moomintroll looked around for somewhere to sit, only to notice that Snufkin was now looking over at him...now he couldn't back out! So, he awkwardly trudged down the stairs and sat next to him.

"Hello Snufkin." Moomin said, ears flat against his head.

"Hullo Moomin." Snufkin replied, finishing up his bowl of peas.

"How are those?"

"They're fine." Snufkin put his bowl aside and took one last gulp of coffee, "I prefer to make them myself, though."

Moomin smiled at him, before turning to his own plate. He really had no idea what they had served him, his plate was filled with odd little black orbs, what looked to be grass, and some little mini quiche-like things. He awkwardly picked at the food with his fork, reluctant to try any of it, while Snufkin lit his pipe for an after-lunch smoke.

"How is it?" Snufkin asked as Moomin shoved a forkful of food in his mouth.

"...Mmmpphhh?" Moomin's face contorted as he chewed. His mouth was full of all kinds of clashing flavors and texures that he'd never had and never wanted to. He forced himself to swallow it regardless, and shivered in disgust.

Snufkin sat there, watching the whole thing play out. He looked to his bowl to see if there was anything left to share with Moomin, but alas, it was empty. Moomin continued to poke at his plate, still quite hungry, but not quite brave enough to try another bite.

"Why don't we go fishing?" Snufkin stood up, "We can take the boat out to sea and have a little private time."

"Really?" Moomins ears perked up, "Oh Snufkin, that sounds wonderful!"

"Come on then." Snufkin said, helping Moomin to his feet, "I left my fishing pole in my tent."

Moomin happily held onto Snufkin's hand as they walked back up the stairs. This was great! If Snufkin wanted to go fishing together, that meant he wasn't angry with Moomintroll! It would also give Snufkin some much needed quiet, as he'd been around people all day, and Moomin could tell he needed to recharge. They'd sit in comfortable silence, away from everyone else in their own little world, not coming back to shore until everyone had gone home... then they'd have a bonfire and Moomin could have a proper meal...and they'd kiss and cuddle and do all sorts of cozy things under the moon until the break of dawn! Oh yes, this could be a wonderful trip after all!

"Moomin, my boy!" 

Moominpappa waved to the couple as they walked back onto the terrace. It seemed that the Moomins had also finished their lunch, as they had left their table, and were now talking with some strangers. Moominpappa had been shaking hands with a tall, mustachioed man who wore a beret. Snufkin looked to Moomin, who could only shrug in response.

"Come here and introduce yourselves, boys!" Pappa pulled his son in front of the man, "Moomintroll, this is Marquis Mongaga. Marquis, this is my son Moomintroll, and his friend Snufkin."

"Oh um, hello!" Moomintroll stuck out his hand, "Nice to meet you!"

"Same to you." The Marquis shook Moomin's hand, "Allow me to introduce my friends: Leonardo Clark Tresco, and Audrey Glamour!"

He gestured to two tall creatures with long snouts that had been politely conversing with Mamma and Snorkmaiden. The one called Clark was a shade of orange, he had a long neck, a blue shirt that exposed some of his chest hair, and a permanent smile that looked to be rather condescending. Meanwhile, Audrey was a smooth, light yellow, with lovely blonde hair and a thin physique, her upturned snout seemed to be constantly looking down at everyone. Both of them strut over to the Marquis upon hearing their names called.

"Charmed." Miss Glamour said, before looking over at the Mumrik standing behind Moomin, "And who is this?"

"Snufkin." He answered simply, looking for an exit.

"Well!" Clark interjected, his voice carrying the same condescending tone as his smile, "That's certainly an unusual name!"

"It's the only one i've got." He replied, not even looking at Clark.

Now Snufkin didn't know it, but he had just committed a grave error. For you see, rich people love nothing more than to poke fun at others who don't fit in. It makes them feel quite big to deliver a perfectly cutting remark and see their victim curl up and try to stutter out a response. But Snufkin's blunt answer to Clark, and his rather casual body language, made it absolutely clear that he didn't care AT ALL what they thought of him. And there's nothing more enticing or infuriating to a social elite than someone who doesn't care what they think.

"Well now!" Audrey pushed past Moomintroll, "Where are you from?"

"Oh, well, nowhere in particular." He shrugged.

"What are you on about? You have to come from somewhere!" Clark said. All eyes were now on Snufkin.

"I'm a traveller." He said bluntly, wanting more than ever to end the conversation, "I don't like staying in one place for too long."

"It's true!" Snorkmaiden rushed over, eager to join in, "Snufkin travels all around the world during the winter, and then he comes to stay with us in the spring!"  
The growing number of socialites "ooh"ed at this.

"A vagabond!" The Marquis said in awe, "How exciting!"

"I bet you could tell some great stories!" The lovely Miss Glamour regarded him.

"I suppose." Snufkin tried to push past her, "I really need to be going now."

"Nonsense!" Snorkmaiden pulled him back, "We simply must share our adventures with our new friends! Like the time we chased the comet, or the time we ended up on that deserted island!"

"Well!" Clark hooked his arm around Snorkmaiden's shoulders, "Why don't we discuss this further at the pool?"

Snorkmaiden squealed and they went off. Meanwhile, Miss Glamour hooked her arm around Snufkin's and dragged him away, while a band of socialites buzzed around him like flies, asking him all sorts of questions about himself and his adventures. Snufkin was so overwhelmed that he had no idea what to do or say. He tried to look back at Moomintroll, but his view was blocked by the crowd, and he was dragged off. Moomintroll and his mother just stood there as their respective partners walked off without them.

"What just happened?" Moomintroll asked, as his father and Snufkin disappeared with their new friends.

Moominmamma sighed, "I'm afraid our dear ones have become socialites."


	5. Pools and Park Keepers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Snufkin is terribly inconvenienced.

"So you see-"

"It was like that-"

"And then we-

"As it would turn out-"

"Oh! So it was-"

The poolside was bursting with energy! The spot that, just an hour ago had been quite calm, was now buzzing with conversation and excitement. The creme de la creme of high society had all gathered to swap stories and gossip by the pool chairs. Some sat by the pool while others hung around in the water, but they all talked. All this joviality was thanks to the arrival of the De Moomins. The charming family of eccentrics had a wide berth of stories all about their adventures. They lived lives of such excitement that others could only dream of!

"So I told the pirates, you can keep your ship. But i'll keep the rum!"

The crowd "aahh"ed at Moominpappa's story.

"Oh, how daring of you!" Marquis Mongaga said.

Moominpappa took a sip of his drink, soaking in all the praise and attention. The Marquis occupied the chair on his left listening and laughing with the others. While Snufkin occupied the chair on his right, smoking his pipe and bouncing his leg.

"What a tale!" A Fillyjonk-like woman cried. She glanced at Snufkin as she said it, and so did everyone else. A little cluster of socialites had gathered around his chair, awaiting his response.

"I suppose." He said, "I wasn't there, so I haven't much to say."

"Well," Clark's smug, honey-smooth voice called out, "That reminds me of this one time-"

Snufkin huffed to himself, tuning out that windbag's warbling. He could feel the eyes around them go back and forth from that Clark, onto to him. Every time someone said something they'd all look to Snufkin. He had no idea what they wanted from him, sometimes he wouldn't even respond. Even so, they still badgered him to talk. Luckily, Moominpappa was quite happy to make himself the center of attention. He did quite a good job keeping the crowd entertained with wild stories of questionable authenticity. But still, it was Snufkin who they really cared about.

"Don't you agree?"

Snufkin looked up to see Clark grinning down on him, all eyes now awaiting his response.

"I suppose you're right." Snufkin said, not wanting to risk being caught not listening and then forced to hear the story again. Clark seemed satisfied with this.

"Pardon me. Oh! Excuse me! Sorry, excuse me!"

A soft voice began to make itself known amongst the sea of rich laughter and condescending tones. The various high-rollers that had gathered there grunted and glared at a white snout that tried to worm its way through the crowd.

"Moomintroll!" Snufkin's face lit up as his boyfriend came into view, earning the little troll quite a few confused looks.

"Hi Snufkin." Moomin smiled back, but blushed a little at all the eyes that were now upon him, "Are you ready to go fishing, dear? Mamma and I went and got your gear all ready to go."

"Yes, yes I am!" Snufkin sprang to his feet, grateful for the chance to leave. "Let's be off now."

"What?" A pencil-thin lady with long black hair grabbed his arm, "Are you really leaving so soon?"

"Yes." Snufkin yanked his arm away, "I'm afraid I have a prior engagement..."

"Nooo!"

"You can't go-"

"We were having so much fun-"

"We haven't even heard-"

"Just cancel it!"

The crowd devolved into a chorus of whines and protests from the socialites. Like children being denied a new toy. Moomin started to shrink upon himself, feeling responsible for their unhappiness. Snufkin cringed as their shrill cries pounded against his eardrums.

"Now, now!" Moominpappa quelled the crowd, "If he must go, then he must! We all need to be all alone sometimes. Like when I was lighthouse keeper! You see, I needed somewhere quiet to write my memoirs-"

With that, Pappa had once again directed all attention to himself, giving Moomin and Snufkin the chance to sneak away. Snufkin heaved a sigh of relief and looped his arm around Moomintroll's. eager to finally get to their planned fishing trip-

"Ahem."

Snufkin grit his teeth in frustration. The lovely Miss Audrey Glamour was standing behind them, observing their escape. She stood away from the crowd, as her full attention was on the couple.

"Sorry you have to go, but we'll be seeing you at Clark's cocktail party tomorrow, won't we?" This caught the attention of some stray socialites.

"Oh yes, you must come!"

"It wouldn't be any fun without you!"

"We might as well shut the whole thing down if you can't attend!."

Moomintroll looked to Snufkin, whose jaw was clenched in a grimace. Meanwhile, Audrey still awaited a response with her hand on her hip. More and more people turned from the crowd to see what was happening. Moomin turned to the sea of eyes. 

"O-Of course!" He stammered out, "We'll be there! Haa..."

"I was talking to him." She spat, pointing at Snufkin. The various socialites rolled their eyes and snickered to themselves. Snufkin's head turned sharply at this.

"We'll see." He said through grit teeth. Finally he dragged Moomintroll away for their planned fishing trip. Thus, the tall pretty people had no more Snufkin to badger. Some of them turned back to Moominpappa, some of them left the deck. But they all found themselves disliking that little white troll.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peace at last... 

Snufkin thought to himself as he took a puff from his pipe. The smoked carried away his troubles across the sea, leaving his mind empty of negativity. It had taken a while, but he and Moomin had taken their boat out, and The Riviera was nothing but a distant line on the horizon. The only sounds to be heard were the sqwaks of seagulls and the gentle waves knocking against their boat. He took a deep breath in through his nose, rejoicing at the scent of saltwater rather than gasoline and perfume. He and Moomin had already caught some fish; Snufkin planned on frying them up for dinner. He smiled at the thought of sitting by the fire with Moomintroll. They'd have a nice, simple, private meal to themselves. Then they'd spend the whole night canoodling with each other until the sunrise. Snufkin breathed a contented sigh and relaxed against Moomintroll. Moomin gave out a little sigh himself, though it wasn't a contented one like Snufkin's.

"Something on your mind, dear?" He snapped Moomin out of his thoughts.

"What? No, nothing! I'm alright!" Moomin stammered. He tried to give Snufkin a reassuring smile, but Snufkin just stared back at him. It was in that neutral way where he wasn't judging you, but you could tell he didn't really believe you either.

"I'm fine, really, I just..." He sighed, "I suppose i'm just a bit on-edge. Everything here is so big and strange...I don't really think I fit in."

Snufkin set his fishing pole aside without a word, and sat down next to Moomin. He reached his arm around Moomins shoulders, snuggling up next to him.

"Places like this aren't worth it m'love."

Moomintroll sighed. Snufkin was right, of course, but that didn't ease his discomfort. He thought back to earlier at the pool, how all those pretty people looked at him like he was vermin. How they glared when Snufkin left with him. How they all wanted Snufkin to stay, without Moomin. But, it was always this way, wasn't it? Snufkin was so wonderful, so brilliant, so brave, EVERYONE loved him. Even back home, Snufkin was a legend, a mystery, one that everyone wanted to solve. Even Moomin's own Pappa had once tried to pose as a criminal in hopes of impressing the vagabond! Really, he shouldn't be surprised. Snufkin was...well, Snufkin. He was amazing, and Moomintroll was lucky that the Mumrik even gave him the time of day.

"Everyone seems to like you, Snufkin."

"Don't remind me." He grunted in response. Moomin giggled.

"It's not so bad! I mean, isn't it lovely to have friends? Well...maybe not friends, per se. But they all think quite highly of you! Isn't that nice?"

Snufkin looked at Moomin. His expression was neutral, so Moomin couldn't tell what he was thinking. Moomin tried to keep his focus on the sea, but he could feel Snufkin's stare over his shoulder. Then, he felt a kiss press into his cheek.

"I love you very much, Moomintroll." Snufkin snuggled against him. Moomin smiled, and leaned his head on top of Snufkin's.

"I love you too."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Snorkmaiden sat on beach, bathing in the rays of the late-afternoon sun in her new black bikini. Her beach blanket was littered with expensive handbags, and other such accessories. You see, Snorkmaiden had quite a bit of luck with the local Casino! She had no idea what it was, but they had a nifty little table with cards and chips. She stuck around for a while and before she knew it, she had a mountain of chips on the green table. She gave them all to a man in a suit, and he gave her stacks of money in return! It was quite the odd little shop, but it gave her more than enough to buy a bikini! As well as a whole new wardrobe! Now, here she was, sunbathing in her expensive new swimsuit. With her expensive new handbags, wearing expensive sunscreen. Yes, she belonged in The Riviera, no doubt about it. Oh, and Little My was there too.

"Snorkmaiden!" A distant voice called out.

"Huh?" Snorkmaiden sat up. In the distance, she could see Moomin waving to her. It seemed that he and Snufkin were coming back in from their trip.  
"It's Moomin! Let's surprise him!"

Snufkin docked their boat near the stalagmites, as it was the most remote area of the beach. Snufkin stayed behind to tie the ship back up, while Moomintroll carried the fish ashore. Of course, Moomin wasn't about to try walking on those rocks again. Instead, he waded through the water on his tiptoes, not wanting to step on another urchin. 

"No hedgehogs this time?" Snufkin teased as Moomin made it back onto dry land.

Moomin wasn't able to answer though, as Snorkmaiden barreled way towards them. She had put her beach blanket over her head, leaving only her lower body visible. She charged at Moomintroll, giggling like a loon.

"What on Earth is that?" He gasped.

"It's the Groke!" Little My followed behind, wearing Snorkmaiden's lipstick like war paint. Snorkmaiden then jumped in front of Moomin and disrobed, showing off her new bikini.

"Well?"

"You can't wear that!" He gasped.

"Why not?"

"Because it's like...it's like you're wearing nothing!"

"Oh Moomin!" She rolled her eyes. Moomin opened his mouth to protest, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"I'm going to go for a walk." Snufkin said, "I need to be alone for a bit. Will you be alright?"

"Hm? Oh! Oh yes! Of course! Go ahead!" Moomin smiled. "I'll see you later, then?"

Snufkin pat his boyfriend's cheek, "Of course. Don't start frying up those fish without me, now!"

With that, he was off, Little My opting to follow him. Moomintroll sighed, watching Snufkin walk away. Everyone wanted to be near Snufkin, but Moomintroll was the one he always came back to. Not anyone else.

"Come on!" Snorkmaiden pulled him away, "Let's go have some fun!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I said I wanted to be alone, Little My."

"You are!" She sqwaked, "And so am I! We're both alone, just in the same place!"

He rolled his eyes, but decided not to argue. There was very little point in trying to reason with Little My. Instead, he focused on the world around him. The sand and sea had faded out, and he now found himself surrounded by foliage. He didn't think it possible, but he was in a wild meadow on The Riviera! There were wild roses, dandelions, daisies, all growing without a care! He smiled to himself, maybe this place wasn't so bad after all.

"Snufkin!" Moominmamma waved. She had been picking flowers when she noticed him.

"Moominmamma! Fancy seeing you here! Enjoying the flora?"

"Oh yes." She sighed, "It's lovely here, isn't it? And just the right size for me!"

Just then, a mustachioed man in blue stormed over to them.

"Oi!" He bellowed, "This is a private wild meadow!"

Any sense of peace or serenity was then sapped from Snufkin. 

"It's beautiful." Moominmamma said, without a trace of anger.

"Which means it's not for you!" He barked in response, "And put those flowers back!"

Moominmamma glanced sadly at the flowers in her hands, before putting them down. The mustachioed man glowered at her as she did so, showing no sign of letting up.

"I think we'd better go." She said to Snufkin.

Mamma walked off with her tail between her legs, but the park keeper still glared at her. Snufkin followed, not wanting to spare a single glance at that man. He glowered at the poor flowers as he walked. They belonged to no one! Especially not some puffed-up grouch who wanted to own nature itself! Oh no, he wouldn't allow this to go on.

"You've got a plan." Little My climbed atop his shoulder, "I can tell!"

"Oh yes, Little My." He smirked, "And i'll be needing your help. What's say you and me have ourselves a little stakeout tonight?" Little My cackled.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world!"


	6. Fireworks and Forgettings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Snufkin & Little My have fun, and Moomin does not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this time!

Evenings on The Riviera were truly something. The afternoon sun had laid down to rest over the horizon, leaving the sky in shades of pink and blue. Moomin got quite a lovely view from where he sat on the beach. The various beach-dwellers packed up to leave as the cool night air set in, leaving Moomin by himself. He closed his eyes, soaking in the wind and waves, but a blast of cool air snapped them open again. 

"Oof..." He started to shiver. Then his stomach gave a mighty growl, reminding him that he hadn't eaten all day.

He looked all around the beach, scanning for any sign of Snufkin, but he still wasn't back from his walk. It was getting quite late too...had something happened to him?! Moomin panicked for a moment, as potential dangers flashed before his eyes! But then he rationalized that if something _had_ happened to Snufkin, there would probably have been some sort of commotion about it. Or, at the very least, Mamma would have come to get it him! So...was he with someone else? Moomin dashed that idea the second it came into his head. Snufkin couldn't stand anyone here but The Moomins! The idea of him _willingly_ spending time with anyone else here was laughable. Then...had Snufkin forgotten him? No, no! He wouldn't! Well...maybe? It wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Snufkin had a pretty good memory, but he could sometimes get distracted, or act on impulse without thinking. So, it was possible that he maybe saw something that caught his attention, and the date had simply slipped his mind. Moomintroll blew into his hands and rubbed them together, shivering. Once again, he looked all around, but there wasn't a single sign of the Mumrik. Maybe...maybe he really wasn't coming. 

_"I love you very much, Moomintroll."_

No. No, Snufkin loved Moomintroll, he'd never forget about him! Sure, Snufkin was late coming home sometimes, and he'd occasionally forget to tell Moomin when he was going out or when he'd be back. But still! Moomin trusted Snufkin, trusted him with just about everything. So his boyfriend was a little late, what's the harm? Sure Moomin was cold...and a little hungry...but what did that matter? Snufkin was coming, he knew that for sure, and he wouldn't eat a single fish until then! Another cold breeze barreled in through the sea, causing Moomintroll to curl up in a little ball. He hoped Snufkin would get there soon.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"There he is." Snufkin whispered. 

About a mile away or so from the beach sat a lovely wild meadow. Daisies, roses, and carnations all bloomed freely, their beauty belonged to no one! Or at least, that's how it should've been, but this was a _privately-owned_ wild meadow. As such, a scowling mustachioed man stalked around, clipping any stems that grew too tall or too wild. The chirping crickets sang a song of mourning as he clipped the head off a wild rose. Little did he know, two vigilantes lay in the grass, watching his every move. Snufkin and Little My were crouched in-between the dandelions and lilac bushes. Snufkin glared at the villain, watching as he twisted and tortured the natural landscape to suit his desires! His mind had been dancing all afternoon with fantasies of revenge, completely edging out any earlier thoughts he'd had about his Moomintroll. For now, justice was the only thing that mattered to him, and he was gonna get it.

"Got the fireworks ready?" Snufkin turned to Little My. She grinned, and presented Moominpappa's case of fireworks! Snufkin felt a tad guilty about taking them without asking, but it was for a good cause.

"Perfect." He lit a match, "Now for the fun to begin."

The mustachioed park keeper tended to his plants, blissfully unaware of what was about to befall him. It was quite a lovely night, the insects were chirping, the air was clear, and the moon was high above. Then, without any warning, a firecracker tore through the air and burst with a loud BOOM! Then came another, and another! Each of them exploded into a flurry of lights that fizzled out almost immediately. The poor park keeper nearly had a heart attack!

"Oi!" He yelled, "Fireworks are PROHIBITED in this area! Who's settin' those off?"

Then came the bottle rockets. The man turned just in time to see them flying distressingly close to him! He ducked down right before they burst, covering his head. Within seconds, the peaceful nightscape had turned into a cacophony of noise and lights!

"Who's out there?!" He screamed, "Who's doin' this?!?!"

He received no answer. Instead, the fireworks display continued. The man who had been so arrogant earlier that day was now cowering on the ground, trying desperately to block out the noise. The lights got more and more intense, and each explosion was louder than the last! It was almost like... _the blasts were getting closer._ Finally, he could take no more! He leapt up and ran straight out of the meadow, screaming all the way!

"Alright Little My-" Snufkin chuckled, "I think we got him!"

"Aww, already?!" She groaned, "We still have half a case left!"

Snufkin just laughed, basking in their moment of rebellion. Little My joined in, and the two of them sat there, cackling in the grass.

"Well that's done..." Snufkin said as the laughter died down. He lit his pipe for a victory smoke, and Little My reclined against him. One might think that they'd want to flee the scene of the crime, considering that they were the perpetrators! But instead, they sat in the grass and readjusted to the quiet. Snufkin took a long drag from his pipe, letting his smoke fill the night air. He knew that he should probably be getting back to the hotel now, Moomin was likely worried. But, he was in no real rush. Honestly, he had put himself through _a lot_ that day for Moomin's sake. Coming to The Riviera, staying in the city, being patient with _capitalists,_ it was all just too much. Of course, he wasn't mad or resentful towards Moomin about any of this, he loved the troll too much. But he felt that he earned this moment alone. He had every intention of going back and showering his boyfriend in affection some more, but for now, he just wanted some space. 

However, this peace was once again interrupted. This time by the faint screech of sirens in the distance, that seemed to be getting louder and louder. Snufkin's eyes snapped open. "Oh no."

In one fell swoop, Snufkin grabbed Little My and the fireworks case and BOLTED out of there. Little My laughed as they disappeared into the night, leaving the local police to give chase.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun rays peeked over the sea, breaking the deep blue with its soft yellow light. The bustling Riviera was now completely quiet and still, as everyone was still fast asleep, making the whole city feel like something of a ghost town. The only creatures awake at this hour were gamblers and service workers, and a pair of siblings committing crimes. For it was at this hour that Little My and Snufkin made their way back to The Grand. 

"Morning already?" Little My yawned, "Ha...those silly policemen chased us _alllll niiiight...._ "

Snufkin chuckled as she curled up atop his hat. They'd had a VERY busy night, running from place to place, avoiding the eyes of authorities and aristocrats. They were still a bit damp from when they had to hide in the ocean, and Snufkin's feet ached from all the running. But it was a good kind of ache. The ache one feels after a night of adventure! Indeed, the two of them had big, victorious smiles on their faces and Snufkin felt, for the first time, that he was glad he had come on this trip. But now, the two were quite ready to get some well-earned rest. Snufkin stumbled his way into the hotel, ignoring the greetings and strange looks of the wait staff. He declined their offers of help, even though he was having quite a bit of trouble keeping his eyes open, and almost fell asleep right on the stairs. Luckily for everyone, he eventually reached The Royal Suite.

The Moomins were all fast asleep in their huge bed, dreaming lovely dreams and snoring softly. Snufkin dropped off the fireworks case by the door, and placed Little My in-between the Moomins. He looked over the sleeping family, oh how sweet they looked all cuddled together like that. Especially his Moomintroll... he gave a sleepy kiss to who he _thought_ was Moomintroll. (It was Moominpappa.) Finally, he crawled into his tent and bundled up in his sleeping bag. He fell asleep almost instantly, joining the rest of The Moomins in dreamland as the sky turned from dark purple to blue. In a few hours everyone would wake up, and The Riviera would be bustling with activity again! But for now, the extended Moomin family slept peacefully, dreaming of the lovely day they were sure to have.

Meanwhile, a little lonely Moomintroll slept on the beach, curled up on the sand next to a bucket of fish.


	7. Pancakes and Party Invites

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a date is broken and another one is planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole chapter is basically just The Moomins eating breakfast. Riveting content, I know.

The sun was only beginning to peek over the horizon when Moomintroll woke up.

The young troll was never much of an early riser, so normally he'd be in bed at this hour, bundled up in blankets and dreaming sweet dreams. However, he was not in his bed at the moment, he was curled up on the cold beach floor. And he wasn't having sweet dreams, rather, he had fallen into a dreamless sleep where he could feel the cold around him but couldn't do anything about it. He might've slept through the morning if a wave hadn't come crashing onto shore, assaulting him with seawater.

"Ah!" He gasped and shot up. He'd been completely shocked out of slumber, and was now painfully aware of his surroundings.

He curled in on himself as the ocean breeze attacked his wet fur, and suddenly felt like crying. The water pooled around his lap, it seemed the tide was coming in. Looking around, Moomin recollected himself and tried to remember yesterday's events. They'd come to The Riviera, they were in a big house with bad food, Snufkin got annoyed, Snufkin took him fishing, Snufkin promised to come back...

Snufkin hadn't come back.

Snufkin didn't come back at all...what if something _did_ happen to him?! What if he were lying dead somewhere and Moomin had no idea? He sprung to his feet, he HAD to get back to the house! Wiping away his tears, Moomintroll rushed off as fast as his stubby legs could carry him! His stomach protested, reminding Moomin of his intense starvation, but that didn't matter! His fuzzy brain pounded, telling Moomin to get more sleep, but he didn't listen! He NEEDED to get back and make sure Snufkin was okay! He tore through the city, leaving the local service workers scratching their heads, before he made it to The Grand. Once there, he pushed past the staff and barreled his way up the stairs, leaving puddles of seawater on the way. Finally, he made it to the Royal Suite!

As soon as he got there he flung open the door, terrified at what might be on the other side. Scanning the room, he could see his family all tucked in quite cozy in the King-sized bed. Luckily for everyone, The Moomins were notoriously heavy sleepers, so they didn't even notice when Moomin burst in. On his right, he could see the moss green of his boyfriend's tent, and fear gripped his heart. He reached for the zipper with a shaking hand, praying with all his heart Snufkin would be inside. He slowly unzipped the tent, shaking with worry, and...there he was. Snufkin was right there, wrapped in his sleeping bag, looking quite peaceful. Moomin heaved a sigh of relief, Snufkin was safe, he always had been.

Wait.

If nothing happened to Snufkin, then...why did he miss his date with Moomin? He promised he'd come back, Moomin sat up all night waiting...had that really meant so little to Snufkin? All at once, Moomintroll felt sick all over. His eyes filled up with tears, Snufkin _had_ forgotten about him! He curled up as the pain in his stomach got worse, and his body shook with quiet sobs. He waited up all night, refusing to eat a thing, and Snufkin just FORGOT about him! How could he?! Moomin covered up his eyes as tears cascaded down his face. Snufkin had been the one to suggest a night on the beach, how could he have forgotten?! Unless...he Snufkin hadn't forgotten at all? What if he remembered but just decided not to show up? But why? Did something more important come up, had Moomin made him upset?

Moomintroll gasped softly. Of course. Snufkin was upset with Moomin for bringing him to The Riviera! It all made sense, not only did his boyfriend have a panic attack, he'd been accosted by strangers and forced to sleep in a house! All because Moomin couldn't just leave him alone. Snufkin hated him, and Moomin deserved it. Moomin sniffled and shivered, he wanted nothing more than to curl up next to his boyfriend and be covered with kisses. But he didn't deserve that...even so, he crawled up next to Snufkin and wrapped his arms around him.

 _Tomorrow, everything will be about him._ Moomin decided.

"Moomintroll..." Snufkin stirred.

"Snufkin?"

"...Why are you all wet?"

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was quite high in the air by the time The Moomins finally awoke.

Along with being heavy sleepers, the family were staunch believers in "Get up late, and go to bed late." So they spent much of the morning happily snoring away while The Riviera stirred with activity. In fact, it was almost noon when The Moomins finally emerged from their room in search of breakfast.

Moomintroll kept his head down as they walked the familiar sun-deck. Despite his stomach's rampant growling, he had no real desire to try eating from this place again, but Pappa insisted. He and Snorkmaiden strutted about with their heads held high, catching the eyes of the other patrons. Snorkmaiden was covered in jewelry that sparkled in the sunlight, making her look like a movie star! Moominmamma trailed behind them silently, trying to avoid all the eyes fixed upon them. Snufkin rolled his eyes, he and Moomin brought up the rear with Little My sleeping on his hat. He gave a mighty yawn, last night had been a real treat! Chasing off park keepers and foiling policemen had been exactly what he needed to get through this trip! Now that he'd gotten all that out of his system, he could focus all his energy on Moomintroll.

Though he had to admit, his love seemed a bit off today. Besides the fact that he was strangely wet this morning, Moomin seemed almost scared of Snufkin today. He was quiet all throughout their morning routine, and he seemed afraid to look the Mumrik in the eye. Even now as they held hands, Moomin would only look at Snufkin if he thought the Mumrik couldn't see him. Anxiety started to bubble in Snufkin's gut; he hoped he hadn't done anything to offend his dearest. Regardless, the family soon took their seats at their table.

"For brunch we have Ratatouille Toasts with Fried Egg, Brioche with Prosciutto, and Goat Cheese Omelettes."

"Well, well." Moominpappa puffed himself up, "They all sound exquisite!"

"Uh, um..." Moomin stuttered, not knowing what to say.

Moominmamma fiddled with her hands, "Just some oatmeal please, good for the digestion."

Little My snapped awake, "Bacon and Sausage!" Then she went back to sleep.

"Coffee, eggs, and toast for me." Snufkin put a hand on Moomin's shoulder, "And a stack of pancakes for this one."

The waiter nodded and snapped his fingers. Once again, their food arrived in less than a minute, carried in silver trays! Moomintroll nearly cried when his pancakes were placed in front of him; syrup was running down the stack, they were dusted with powdered sugar, and there was a dollop of butter on top~

"Madame, Monsieur, bon appetit."

It took Moomin all of one second to start inhaling his pancakes, they were every bit as delicious as they looked! He barely had time to finish chewing before he started shoveling more into his gullet. He moaned happily at their sweetness, syrup dribbling down his chin. His eating frenzy continued as he filled his maw with even _more_ flapjacks.

_"Ahem._

Moomin looked up to see Snorkmaiden glaring at him. He stopped chewing as he noticed it wasn't just Snorkmaiden, it seemed EVERYONE on the verandah was staring at him. The only people who weren't, were Snufkin and Little My. Looking around, he realized that the table had become littered with bits of chewed-up pancake and droplets of syrup. Not only that, he had syrup dribbling under his chin, and his face was now dusted with powdered sugar.

"We're in public, if you don't mind."

Suddenly Moomintroll felt very self-aware, very messy, and very mortified. He mumbled an apology, then shrunk into his chair. One by one, the other patrons all went back to their own meals, leaving Moomin to nibble on his breakfast. Snorkmaiden picked at her food, trying to retain some dignity, which was promptly destroyed as Little My munched and crunched on her meat, spitting chunks of it everywhere.

"Ugh, really?!"

Little My cackled in response. Moomin glanced over at Snufkin, who was pouring himself his usual morning coffee. Unease swirled in Moomin's guts, what must Snufkin think of him now? He could only imagine the pure disgust and embarrassment he must be feeling right now, having everyone staring at his slob of a boyfriend. Moomin stole another glance at him, and noticed that Snufkin was loading up his coffee with cream and sugar. Which was...odd, because Snufkin didn't really like sweets too much, and he always took his coffee black. Despite that, he continued to empty out creamers and sugar packets until the coffee was a light, creamy brown. Letting out a satisfied hum, he gave it one more stir before passing it to Moomintroll.

Moomin looked to the cup, then to Snufkin, who smiled. "For you, m'love."

Moomintroll immediately grabbed the mug and took a big gulp, letting the drink fill his whole body with warmth. It was so creamy and sweet, and Moomin just HAD to smile. Snufkin remembered that he loved sweet things! Oh and he gave Moomin his coffee so that he wouldn't feel bad! Oh, Snufkin loved him so much...

Wait.

No no no no no no, this was all wrong! Moomin was supposed to be taking care of Snufkin today, not the other way around! But here he was, acting just awful in public, and STILL making Snufkin take care of him! Ohh...he was the worst boyfriend imaginable. He stared down at his reflection in the now-empty mug, then looked back to Snufkin; because of Moomin, he was drinking his coffee straight from the pot! Which...wasn't _particularly_ out-of-character for him, but still! Moomin had to be better! Snufkin was already straining himself so much to be here, he couldn't DARE ask any more from him!

"So Moomin, what do you want to do today?" Snufkin said, finishing off his breakfast.

"Oh!" Moomin snapped out of his thoughts, "Whatever you want to do is fine by me!"

"Well that's nice." Snufkin smiled, "But really, what would you like to do?

Moomin smiled back, "Anything you like, that's what we'll do!"

Snufkin's smile dropped. Moomin tried to keep his up, but the way Snufkin looked at him made him a tad nervous. Maybe Snufkin wanted him to take initiative?

"We could go and try to find a wild meadow? Or-Or we could go fishing or-"

"We did that yesterday, love." Snufkin replied, taking another swing of coffee from the kettle. All of a sudden, his eyes snapped open and he started to choke on his drink.

"Snufkin!" Moomin reached over, but Snufkin managed to regain some composure and swallow his drink. "Are you alright?"

Snufkin's only response was to gasp for breath. You see, as soon as Moomintroll mentioned fishing, Snufkin thought back to how they had done so the previous day. Which led into him remembering how he and Moomin had planned to spend the night on the beach together. Which _then_ led to him realizing that he HADN'T gone back for Moomin, because he was tripping up park keepers with Little My. All at once, he began to connect the dots. That was why Moomin had been wet this morning, why he was so hungry, why he seemed so awkward around him! Moomin had been waiting up for him all night, and Snufkin had forgotten about him. He looked up at Moomin's face, etched with concern. His heart broke at the thought of Moomintroll eagerly waiting all night for him, while he just selfishly ran off and did whatever he pleased.

"Moomin. Oh Moomin...I-"

"Monsieur de Moomin!"

Snufkin's apology was cut off by the arrival of the Marquis and his clique.

"Marquis Mongaga!" Moominpappa rejoiced. He and Snorkmaiden happily congregated with the aristocrats who had just finished their meals.

Moominmamma sighed and Snufkin grit his teeth, didn't these people have ANYTHING else to do?!

"As I was trying to say." He said through his teeth, "I'm-"

"Snufkin!" Audrey Glamour strutted over, "How are you, today?"

"Fine, thanks." He grunted.

"Snufkin," Moomintroll grabbed his hand, "c'mon. Why don't we go wash up? I did get a bit messy-"

"Oh you CAN'T go!" Clark's ever-smug voice chimed, "We only just got here!"

The crowd of socialites vocalized their agreements, and the crowd gathered around the table. Moominmamma clutched her handbag, looking quite attacked, while Little My watched atop their umbrella.

"Moomin." Mamma called under all the conversations, "Maybe we should go. Everyone seems to be preoccupied." Moomintroll nodded and rose to his feet.

"Wait-don't go!" Snufkin grabbed Moomin's paws, desperate to have some sanity to cling to.

"Snufkin?"

The look of surprise on Moomin's face made the Mumrik wither a bit. What was he doing? He had strung Moomintroll along all night, left him with absolutely nothing, and then he had the GALL to ask Moomin to comfort him. Could he possibly get any more selfish?

"Ahem." Clark cleared his throat.

 _"What?!"_ Snufkin snapped.

"I asked if you'd be attending my party tonight." Clark said, blind to Snufkin's clear dislike of him.

"A party?" Moomin's ears perked up.

"Yes. For invited guests of course." Audrey said, shooting a pointed look towards Moomin. He had no idea why, but the others started chuckling at this. Snufkin's blood boiled.

"So?" Clark continued, "Are you coming?"

Moomintroll and his Mamma shared a frightened look, as they could both sense Snufkin's pure rage. Little My watched on the edge of her seat, ready to watch the fireworks again. Snufkin geared up to tell that windbag and his giggling friends where they could shove their invitation. But then, nothing. Snufkin didn't yell, or spit, or do any of the things that he had been thinking of doing. Instead, he smiled. A very wide, unsettling smile.

"Sure, i'll go." He said with unnatural calm, before looking back at Moomintroll, "With _him_ of course. We'll be going together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lord help me, this fic is turning into a soap opera!


	8. Dances and Disasters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a terrible mistake is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for some mild homophobia and descriptions of a panic attack!

"Now remember, when we get to the party we must keep our heads held high!" Moominpappa declared, "Remember, we the _De_ Moomins! We are the highest of high-rollers here, it is important to act as such!"

"Naturally, dear." Mooinmamma replied as she stitched her dress together. It was going to be quite a lovely gown, made from an old golden curtain.

The suite buzzed with activity as The "De" Moomins prepared for the party. While Mamma sewed her dress, Moominpappa looked in the mirror and fixed his tie for the hundreth time. Tilting his head side-to-side, he admired his elegance and oh-so-sharp form! Yes, how wonderful it was to be Pappa DeMoomin. Little My rolled her eyes, and continued to shuffle through Snorkmaiden's makeup bag. Blue eyeshadow covered half her face, and her eye had black lines streaked across. Now all she needed was some lipstick to complete the look!

"Little My!" Snorkmaiden emerged from the bathroom, "Stop that at once!"

"Why Snorkmaiden!" Moominmamma gasped, "You look simply lovely!"

"Oh, thank you!" Snorkmaiden dressed in a pink silk gown that so elegantly draped around her. In her hair, she clipped on a silk pink rose that almost looked real. But what she was truly proudest of was the coin hanging around her neck. The one given to her by _Audrey Glamour._ She sighed, remembering how she greeted Audrey at the pool, how she said "You must be new here." before tossing Snorkmaiden the coin! Oh how _l'evidence_ it was~

"Do you think Audrey Glamour will think so too?" Snorkmaiden asked, "Maybe if i'm lucky she'll say hi, or even talk to me!"

"I'm sure she will dear." Moominmamma said.

Snorkmaiden smiled and spritzed herself with rose-scented perfume, completing her ensemble. She stepped back from the mirror, and twirled around in her dress; she'd be the belle of the ball tonight!

Moominmamma smiled at Snorkmaiden, oh the joys of being young! Little My just retched at it all, and stomped off to Snufkin's tent.

"Oh, I wouldn't go in there dear!" Mamma called over, "Moomin and Snufkin are getting ready."

 _"Still?"_ Snorkmaiden demanded, "It's been over an hour, what could they be doing in there?"

"S-Sorry!" Moomin's voice came from inside the tent, "We'll be out in just a minute!"

Snorkmaiden rolled her eyes, and took a seat next to Moominmamma, pouting.

"Take all the time you need dear!" Mamma called over, "I'm still finishing up my dress!"

Moomintroll smiled, though his mother couldn't see it. He felt a bit bad because, in truth, he and Snufkin hadn't been getting ready at all. Snufkin had dressed in his usual green smock, and Moomin wore nothing, so they're both ready to go. Instead, the two of them lay side-by-side, enjoying each other's company in solitude. They had whispered to each other for a bit, until Snufkin dozed off, leaving Moomin with only his thoughts. His dark, swarming, unhappy thoughts. He wanted so much to snuggle in to Snufkin, to bury his snout into his boyfriend's chest and fall right asleep. But every time he thought about reaching out to do so, an intense feeling of unease gripped at his heart. He would remember how those pretty people looked at him whenever he was around Snufkin. How they whispered and giggled whenever he spoke. They didn't like him, he could tell...but they liked Snufkin. Everyone always liked Snufkin! It didn't matter if they were in Moominvalley, or on The Riviera, or anywhere else in the world! No matter where they went, Snufkin was a hero, and Moomin was the hanger-on. Compared to him, what was Moomintroll? Some round, awkward little thing that never dared venture outside his home valley. Some childish, hopeless little troll who demanded more than Snufkin could give. Moomin didn't deserve him...and everyone knew it. 

_"Ahh! Little My, that's mine!"_

Snufkin's eyes snapped open upon hearing Snorkmaiden's screech. Groaning, he rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes.

"...Did I fall asleep?"

"Mn." Moomin nodded, laying still and watching Snufkin.

Snufkin grunted and tried to prop himself up, but then gave up and flopped back down. He felt around for his pipe, which Moomin had taken from his mouth while he was sleeping. He wasn't planning on smoking, but having something in his mouth was comforting to him.

"Here it is." Moomin handed Snufkin his prized pipe.

"Thank you, love." He took it back, before going quiet. His expression had turned serious, almost thoughtful. Moomin could tell there was something troubling him.

"Something on your mind, dear?"

"Yes, actually.." With a grunt, he sat up. "I wanted to apologize...about last night."

It took Moomin a moment to register what he was talking about. "Oh-oh that! Don't worry about it, dear! It's in the past! It wasn't much important anyhow-"

Snufkin's hand cupped his cheek, cutting him off mid-sentence. The Mumrik gazed at him with patient, but concerned eyes that cut like a knife.

"I'm not mad..." Moomin whimpered, "I promise i'm not mad."

Snufkin sighed. "Be that as it may, love, i'm sorry. I shouldn't have forgotten you like I did, I have no excuse for that. There's nothing more important in this place than you." He traced circles around Moomin's cheek with his thumb. "I'm sorry."

Moomintroll leaned in to his touch, while unease swarmed his insides. He whimpered and sniffled, screwing his eyes shut so he wouldn't cry. He felt a kiss press up against his forehead, and a warm body snuggle up close to him. Moomin curled in on himself, while images of pretty people glaring at him assaulted his mind. He heard them whispering, wondering who that troll clinging onto Snufkin was. His skin crawled as they giggled at pointed, their faces blending into a sea of grins and glares.

"My stomach hurts..." He whimpered.

"Would you like to stay here, then?"

"No..." Moomin sniffled, "We're going to that party together...remember?"

Snufkin gave a small smile and pressed another kiss onto Moomin's snout. Moomin inched closer, wrapping his arms around Snufkin's back, holding him close. Snufkin did the same, and for a moment, Moomin's mind was quiet. For one moment, he and Snufkin were the only things that existed. All things that lay outside the tent melted away, and the only thing that mattered was their embrace.

"Hello?!" Snorkmaiden threw open the tent flaps, letting the light flood in. "If you two have finished _getting ready,_ we have to go!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ballroom of "The Grand" crooned with orchestral music, the air filled with perfume and cigar smoke. The various guests milled about, all dressed in silks and furs, their jewelry rattling as they walked. The chandeliers burned with such radiance, that those outside would be sure to see it, and feel left out. Indeed, everyone in the room, even the waitstaff, kept their heads held high. Each and everyone of them assured of their own importance. The Moomins stood in the doorway, utterly floored by the extravagance on display. As the arrived, one of the waiters standing by the door rang a little bell.

"Madame and Monsieur De Moomin, et la famille." Another suited man announced the family.

The attendees turned their attention to the family. Moominmamma clutched her handbag, almost wishing to melt away. Moominpappa stood quite proud, eyeing the crowd with confidence. Snorkmaiden's hands flew to her lucky coin, as she looked at the crowd with unease. Little My sat atop Snufkin's hat, looking as though she had rode in from a war. Moomin stood with his arm linked around Snufkin's, shrinking a bit at the crowd. Snufkin, meanwhile, stood perfectly straight, daring the crowd to judge him.

Some older party-goers whispered to each other as The Moomins entered. Moomin clung a bit harder to Snufkin, who looked as calm as could be. Moomin looked to his mother, but she kept her eyes to the ground as she walked. Pappa and Snorkmaiden walked up ahead, keeping their snouts held high, as they were the "De" Moomins. The family found themselves over at the buffet table; all the food was small, perfect for Little My! She dove off of Snufkin's hat, and buried herself in a tray of cupcakes, snapping at anyone who came near.

"Ah! Monsieur De Moomin!"

Moominpappa looked over, "Marquis Mongaga!"

Pappa and his new friend were off in an instant, leaving the family high and dry. Moomin glanced at the food on the table, none of it looked particularly filling. Even so, Snorkmaiden and Little My seemed to eat it without issue, so maybe it was just him. Rather than picking up a plate, Snufkin poured some champagne for himself and Moomin. Moomin allowed himself a smile as he and Snufkin clinked glasses, his anxiety settled a bit. Sure, he wasn't that comfortable, but Snufkin was here, so maybe things wouldn't be so bad? Maybe he could relax a bit. After all, it was only one evening, a few hours here and then they'd go home! A few hours here, and then he'd be home, and everything would be fine. Moomin sipped on his drink, all he had to do was endure the rest of the trip, and soon enough he'd be back in Moominvalley! He and Snufkin would sit in the shade, whispering sweet nothings to each other, and they'd be fine!

 _It'll be fine._ He thought to himself, _Snufkin's here, Mamma's here, everything will be fine._

"You look familiar."

A feminine voice shocked him out of his thoughts. He looked over to see a tall, lovely woman talking to Snorkmaiden, who looked ecstatic.

"Yes Miss Glamour! We met-"

"Oh! Snufkin!" She turned her sights on Moomin's beau, "Glad you could make it!."

He grunted in response, looking over the buffet table.

"That's quite the ensemble you've got there." She pointed at his green smock.

"They're my clothes." He shrugged, once again showcasing how little the opinions of others meant to him. And once again making himself seem "cool" and "mysterious."

Audrey Glamour smirked, "Would you care to dance?"

Snufkin downed his champagne, "Yes actually. Yes I would."

"Wha-?!" Moomin stammered. Moominmamma stared wide-eyed, and Snorkmaiden looked ready to kill. But then, Snukin turned to Moomin.

"Come along, darling."

He grabbed Moomin's paw, and led him to the dance floor, right in the center among the other couples. One hand on Moomin's shoulder, the other hand intertwined with Moomin's. Before he even knew what was happening, Moomintroll was tripping over himself, trying to keep up with Snufkin. Snufkin chuckled and Moomin forced a smile to his face, but he did manage to find his footing. The lights blared overhead as the music droned on, making Moomin feel a bit dizzy. He leaned into Snufkin to rest his head on the Mumrik's shoulder, trying to steady his breathing. For a second, it worked. He was in Snufkin's arms, keeping up with him quite well, and allowed the Mumrik to guide him. For a moment, he felt like everything would be okay.

Then he looked up.

The party-goers, who were mingling only a minute ago, were looking over at Snufkin and Moomin. The other couples on the dance floor were looking over at Snufkin and Moomin. Some of them had even stopped dancing, to look over at him and Snufkin. As Snufkin turned, Moomin could see that a few members of the band were staring at them. As he spun around the ballroom, he saw hundreds of eyes fixed upon them. He saw furrowed brows and confused expressions. He saw disgusted looks and furious whisperings. It seemed the entire room was staring at him, like he had Snufkin had committed some terrible faux-pas.

The world began to spin, faces started to melt together in a mass of glaring eyes. The chandelier overhead burned with heat, and the music beat down on his poor eardrums. He clung tighter to Snufkin, like a drowning person to a lifeline, as his breathing sped up. He flapped his ears down, desperate to drown out the music and the murmurs. As he turned once again, he caught sight of that woman who asked Snufkin to dance. She stared at them as well, but it was a different kind of stare. It had no malice to it but just...puzzlement. Like if the sky suddenly turned red, or a signpost got up and walked away. She looked at them with pure confusion. Like she _never_ considered this could be a possibility.

Moomin's leg got tangled in-between Snufkin's, and he fell to the floor. Pain shot through him, making everyone one of his senses scream out as the world blurred.

"Moomintroll?"

Moomin said nothing. Instead he got up and ran. Ran from the party, out of the ballroom, out the hotel gates and didn't stop. Even as Snufkin called out to him, he kept on running and disappeared into the night.


	9. Mothers and Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Moomin disappears, and Snufkin & Moominmamma are homesick.

"Moomin? Moomin, dear? Are you there?"

Moominmamma called out, only to be met with silence. She sighed, wading through The Grand's flower bushes; it seemed her son wasn't in the gardens. Or in their suite, or on the sun deck, or in any of the hotel's other rooms. Poor Moominamma had spent hours searching the hotel's every nook-and-cranny to try and find her boy. He had run out of the ballroom so suddenly, neither she nor Snufkin were able to stop him from disappearing. Shaking the brambles off her dress, she stepped out of the bushes and onto the dew-covered grass. It was getting rather late, she supposed, it might even be past midnight. Even so, she stomped through the grass, undeterred. Rounding the corner caused her to end up at the front lawn of The Grand, where the sprinklers were going. She scanned the area, this was the one place she hadn't checked yet. If Moomin wasn't here then...

"Moomin? Are you here?" No response. "Please dear! If you're here, please come out..." 

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Mamma looked around the empty space, feeling rather helpless. All she could think do was stand there as the sprinklers soaked her dress. The night was so quiet that she could hear music coming from the ballroom, and it made her blood boil. Those awful people carried on with their party, like nothing had happened. Pappa and Snorkmaiden opted to stay there rather than join the search, and that only made her angrier. The sooner they left this place, the better!  
Suddenly, she saw another figure across the way.

"Snufkin!" 

She ran across the lawn, getting mud all over her dress, to meet the vagabond.

"Snufkin!" She halted in front of him, soaking wet and covered with mud. "Snufkin, did you..." She stopped herself. One look at Snufkin's hunched shoulders, pursed lips, and watery eyes was enough of answer. He hadn't found Moomin either.

"Oh dear..."

The two of them stood in silence. Snufkin kept his eyes to the ground, biting his pipe so hard it might break. Mamma noticed his breathing was coming in shaky as well. But she didn't know what to say, and neither did he. They were just two small creatures, loitering in a garden that was much too big for them. The sprinklers came to a sudden stop, retreating back into the ground. Without them, the music coming from the party could be heard with more clarity. 

"Come on," She looped her arm around Snufkin's, "Let's go find the others."

Snufkin allowed himself to be dragged along without protest.

Rather than coming in through the front door, Mamma opted to enter from the side, wanting to avoid the other guests. The party was in full swing when they reentered. The various aristocrats and socialites gathered in cliques around the ballroom. Together they drank fine wine, dined on hors d'oeuvres, and made small talk. One would think that it would be quite easy to come in without notice. But instead, everyone there stopped to stare at Moominmamma and Snufkin's arrival.

Moominmamma looked down at her muddy, soggy dress and blushed.Oh dear, she had even tracked mud in with her. The atmosphere turned hostile, as the party-goers sneered at the duo. Mamma looked over at Snufkin, but he kept his gaze lowered. Which likely had something to do how he looked like he was going to be sick. Moominmamma steeled herself, it was up to her to be strong for both of them.

Taking a deep breath in, she strut past the crowd with her head held high. The guests dove out of her way as she walked, not wanting her to ruin their fine clothes. She didn't spare a single glance to the others as she walked, even as they whispered and snickered. Though she did look back to Snufkin. He had always been able to let laughter and insults roll off his back, but not tonight. Tonight, he stumbled around like a rag doll, looking as though he was about to come apart at the seams. Tsk...all the more reason to get out of this place, and soon!

Soon, the duo reached Moominpappa in the lounge. He had been spending his whole evening here, regaling Marquis Mongaga with his life stories.

"And then there were complaints about us painting the lights- oh, hello dear!" He called before taking note of her ruined dress, and the miserable Snufkin on her arm. "...Has something happened?"

"Moomin's gone." She said, "We haven't been able to find him anywhere."

"Oh-oh dear...perhaps he needs to be alone." He looked back to the Marquis, "Like when I was in the lighthouse! You see, I needed somewhere quiet to write my memoirs!"

"Oh!" The Marquis gasped, "So you are a writer as well?"

"Oh, just another string to my bow."

Snufkin shot Moominpappa a disgusted glare, while The Marquis turned to Moominmamma. "Madame De Moomin, your husband is an extraordinary man!"

"Yes." She sighed, "He is. Excuse me." Unhooking her arm from Snufkin's, she went to talk with her husband in private.

"We simply don't fit in here, dear!" She whispered, "Everything is too outlandish! I would like to go home."

"Oh? But i'm having such a wonderful time with my friend, The Marquis!"

"I can see that dear..." She said, defeated. "But i'm going to live under our old boat. And i'm taking Snufkin with me!"

Head held high, she locked arms with Snufkin once more, and they were off.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moominmamma propped the boat up so one side lay in the sand while the other was raised up with sticks. It wasn't much, but it did make for a cozy shelter. Meanwhile, Snufkin was hammering his tent pegs into the sand, getting his own shelter set up.

"Would you like any help?" She asked.

Snufkin only shook his head in response, which concerned Moominmamma. She knew that he didn't like to talk much, but he hadn't said a word since they left the party!

"...You know, this could be the perfect place to build a rock garden!" She grabbed her bag of seeds, "Don't you agree?"

He grunted as a response, and Mamma sighed. Not knowing what else to say, she instead went back to fixing up the boat. It was such a quiet night, even the ocean was unusually calm! The only thing to hear was Snufkin's hammering, which soon came to a stop as well.

After placing her and Moomin's luggage (which she had made sure to pick up as she left) under the boat, Mamma looked over at Snufkin's tent. It had been set up as perfect as always, but the Mumrik wasn't inside of it. Instead, he was sitting curled up by the seashore, watching the horizon. Mamma went to stand behind him.

"They haven't even got any stars here..." She noted, and it was true. The lights from the city made it impossible to see any stars.

"...I hate this place." Snufkin growled.

Moominmamma sat beside him, "I know dear."

The two of them sat in silence. The night was cool, but not unpleasant, and the ocean breeze was gentle tonight. They had made sure to set up their camp site far away enough from the city that they couldn't hear anything. So now, the only thing to hear was the gentle _splish_ of the sea as it bumped against the shore.

"...I'm sorry about what happened at the party." Mamma broke the silence. Snufkin tensed up, gripping at his sleeves. "It wasn't your fault dear, those people were so rude! You couldn't have known that they-"

"I DID!"

Mamma almost jumped out of her skin when Snufkin yelled. "W-What? Snufkin-"

"I knew what they were all going to think! I knew the whole time! That was why I did it!"

He covered his face with his hands, digging his nails into his skin.

"...I knew what was going to happen, I knew how much they'd hate it...and I wanted them too." He murmured, like a scared child. "I was so angry...I wanted them all to just leave me alone. And-and I used Moomin to get that. I _used him_ Moominmamma...and now he's gone.."

Mamma stared in silence at the vagabond's confession. Snufkin kept his face in his hands, too ashamed to look at her.

"...I'm sorry...i'm so sorry."

"Oh...oh Snufkin."

He steeled himself for the verbal lashing he was sure to receive, but it didn't come. Instead, Mamma pulled him into a firm hug.

"M-Moominmamma? Wh-What-"

"Shh..." She rubbed his back. "It's alright. I'm not upset." 

Unwanted tears welled up in his eyes. "Mamma...it's my fault. It's my fault Moomin disappeared...it's all my fault."

She pulled back to look him in the eye. "Yes, you made a mistake, but I can see you've been punished enough for it already." She wiped a tear from his cheek. "Moomin will come back to us when he's ready. And when he does, you can give him a proper apology. I'm sure he won't stay upset with you forever, he loves you too much."

Snufkin's face scrunched up as fresh tears cascaded down his cheeks. Mamma pulled him into another hug, which he accepted and returned.

"...You really think he'll come back?"

Mamma looked back at the city in the distance.

"We'll just have to wait and see."


	10. Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which it rains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOw so, sorry for falling so behind on updates! Work and all that! I haven't forgotten all of you though, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait!

Days went by, and life on the beach had settled into a nice little routine. Moominmamma tended her garden, Snufkin fished, and Little My came in-and-out as she pleased. The only breaks came when Mamma or Snufkin would go out again to try and find Moomin. But they were small creatures and the Riviera was very big; they could only cover so much ground at once. So, things continued in this way.

This particular afternoon was bit stuffier than usual. It had already been warm that morning, but just after lunch was when the clouds rolled in. The sky was now quite overcast, spoiling what was shaping up to be a perfectly lovely day. The various beach-goers packed up and left, grumbling about the weather and indoor pools.

"The sky looks quite grumpy today." Moominmamma noted.

"It'll start raining soon!" Little My cackled, "There'll be a great flood and we'll all be washed away!"

"Now, now. So long as we have our boat, we'll be fine!"

Mamma gave a small giggle, before going back to stacking rocks. Her garden was coming along quite nicely! The seeds had taken quite well to the seashore, blooming in no time! In fact, they were blossoming so well that they hardly needed Mooominmamma! So instead, she built little rock towers for the vines to climb. It helped keep Little My busy as well, as she rolled the biggest rocks she could find onto the beach. And if they were too big, she'd _smash them up!_ It felt good to be so helpful. Snufkin wasn't helping though, he had settled down for an afternoon nap. He had been doing that quite a lot lately, settling down for a nap right after lunch. Or after breakfast. Or when he wasn't fishing. Or when he came back from a search, still with no Moomin. Little My found it horrendously unfair that he was allowed to sleep so often and for so long, the lazy bum! But Moominmamma insisted he be left in peace. If there was one thing she knew about Snufkin, it was that he liked to sleep when he was unhappy. And the last thing he needed was for that to be taken away too. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a drop on her snout. Then one on her head, then three more on her shoulders. The rain had come.

"You see?" Little My yelled once again, "Soon we'll all be drowned!"

"Well in that case," Mamma dusted herself off, "We should get to our boat while we still can."

She ushered Little My into their small shelter, before crawling under herself. The raindrops came down in hard bunches that drummed against the ship's hull.

"Snufkin's in his tent! He'll be soaked down to the bone!" Little My's laughter echoed in the tiny space.

"Hush now." Mamma pet her back, "His tent has made it through worse, he'll be fine."

Little My pouted, having nothing else to say, and Mamma pulled her close. The two of them watched as the sand and rocks became soaked, with the flowers opening up to greet the rain. Little My rested her head against Moominmamma, and gave a small sigh, it _was_ quite the pretty sight. The sound of rain thumping on the boat filled their tiny shelter. Mamma grabbed a blanket, and wrapped it around her and Little My, protecting them against the cold ocean breeze that was picking up. Her thoughts went to her husband and Snorkmaiden, whom she hadn't seen since the night of the party. They'd be nice and dry at The Grand. She hoped the same was true for her Moomintroll, wherever he was.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

All the different movers-and-shakers of the Riviera had scurried inside when the rain started. The shops, the beaches, and even the busy streets of the south were now completely empty! Everyone had gone inside to enjoy their varying luxuries and hedonisms in the comfort of their heated homes. They were quite uninterested in listening to the pitter-patter of rain, the smell of petrichor, or how the flowers and spiderwebs caught the raindrops so beautifully. They stayed inside, blissfully unaware of the world Moomintroll was immersed in.

The little troll had been curled up in this wild meadow, fast asleep amongst the tall grass, when the rain started. He had been dreaming quite peacefully when he started to feel cold drops hitting his fur. When he finally did stir awake, he was quite soaked. But he didn't want to move, he'd spent hours trying to find a single area to rest that WASN'T guarded by someone! Besides, it had been quite muggy that day, so the cool water actually felt rather pleasant! So, there he stayed, allowing the rain to wash away all the dirt and grime that had gathered in his fur.

He lay on his side, watching how the rain dappled the flowers before dripping off. The lilac stems swayed as the rain hit their leaves, and the rose bushes shivered. Little bugs in the grass scurried here-and-there, trying to find some shelter. Moomin knew how they felt. It wasn't too long ago that he was in their position. After fleeing from the party, he couldn't seem to find his way back. He hadn't had any particular location in mind, he just ran, ran long and far until he was satisfied no one would find him. That wasn't the wisest decision, it would seem, as The Riviera was NOT kind to vagabonds. Everything was privately-owned, and every time he thought he'd found someplace to rest, he would be chased off by some vicious guard and their dogs. Worst of all, he had no idea where he was.  
Getting lost in Moominvalley was no big deal, he knew where everything was and could easily find his way back. But here, he didn't know where _anything_ was, and he had no idea how to get back to his family. Though..he didn't imagine they were too eager to see him again, not after the way he left. He cringed at the memory. He embarrassed them, he knew he had. It was probably for the best he wasn't able to find his way back right now, it would give them time to cool off. Then maybe, when he went back, they'd be too happy to see him to care about anything else.

It was a nice thought, and he allowed it to fill his dreams as he fell back asleep. The flowers overlooking the sleeping troll curled in on him as he shifted, protecting him from sight.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Snufkin groaned as he stirred awake to the sound of rain drumming against his tent. But he, in his drowsy state, didn't register the sound as rain right off and was certain that either Moominmamma or Little My was tapping on his tent for attention. Still half-asleep, he shoved his head under his pillow, hoping they'd take a hint and go away. He steadied his breathing and tried to slip back into unconsciousness, but the tapping continued. He grit his teeth and curled up in his sleeping back, didn't either of them understand privacy?! Still, it was possible that it wasn't Mamma or Little My, it could've been a disgruntled beach-goer, or some park keeper, or..or...

_Moomin!_

His eyes snapped open! Finally regaining lucidity, he threw his pillow off and scrambled to get out of his sleeping bag. However, as he sat up and kicked off his sleeping bag, he became conscious of the sound of water hitting the ground and sinking into the outer layer of his tent. It was raining.  
With a sigh, he flopped back down to the floor of his tent. He had been woken up for absolutely _nothing._ The vestiges of his dreams faded into nothing as he stared at the "ceiling." They weren't particularly good or memorable dreams, but it was better than being awake. Especially now, as the rain made going for fishing or finding Moomintroll rather difficult. He groaned. The second he found his Moomin, he was hopping on a boat with Little My and Moominmamma and they were _leaving._ If Moominpappa and Snorkmaiden didn't like it, they could stay here forever!

 _Oh isn't that nice?_ He suddenly thought, _Making decisions for the both of you without telling him. Again. No wonder he hasn't come back._

Snufkin pulled the sleeping bag over his ears, as the memory of that night assaulted him. How Moomintroll clung to him while they danced, how his breathing became erratic, how he tripped over his own feet. And how Snufkin, in his delight at causing a scene and scandalizing those clowns, failed to notice how obviously unhappy his boyfriend was. He drew in a sharp inhale as he remembered how Moomin looked at him. With his ears flopped down and a look of pure terror in his eyes. Like he was a frightened, defenseless animal that Snufkin had led into the tiger's pit. Then he ran. If only Snufkin had been faster. If only he hadn't bumped against so many people while trying to reach Moomin. If only he hadn't tripped on the way out. He could've caught Moomin and said he was sorry, and told him _how much he loved him._

But none of that happened. And now, Snufkin was left alone in his tent. With nothing to do but lie in the bed he'd made. Curling up in his sleeping bag, he let the sound of rain lull him into unconsciousness. Perhaps when he woke up, Moomin would return, and everything would be alright.


	11. Hotels and Hostilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Snufkin and Moomin are further inconvenienced.

Snufkin was hell. It was official. He had drowned on the way here and now he was in hell. There was no other explanation for the situation he now found himself in.

Moominmamma had called he and Little My over for lunch, she had fried up the trout Snufkin had cooked earlier quite nicely! They also had some bread, cheese, and a bottle of wine (that Little My wasn't allowed to touch.) The three of them ate in comfortable silence, aside from Little My who just _had_ to munch her food as loudly as possible. Snufkin had been relatively content eating his lunch, while thinking of where to look for Moomin next.

Mamma had searched the town earlier, but had no such luck finding her son. Snufkin pondered as he nibbled his bread, he had been looking for his boyfriend on the outskirts of the city, and he was no closer to finding him. It might be time for him to, ugh, start _talking to people._ He shivered. Snufkin ALREADY hated social interaction, especially with people he didn't know! But to ask for help in THIS place?! Where the amount of money you had in the bank directly affected your worth as a person?! Even thinking about it made bile rise in his throat. But then...the thought of Moomin being out there all alone, would give him pause. His boyfriend had been missing for too long now, if they didn't find him soon then...he didn't know. He just didn't know what he'd do if they couldn't find him. With that thought in mind, he finished his lunch. He had to find Moomin, by _any means necessary_ and he wouldn't let anything distract him from that!

"Hello my family!"

A broad voice snapped Snufkin out of his thoughts. The three of them turned to see a debonair Moomin in a silk top hat strutting over.

"Dear!" Moominmamma sprang to her feet, "You've come to join us?"

"Why of course!" He gesticulated, "We've come to lead the simple lives of ar _tists._ "

 _We?_ Moominmamma and Snufkin thought at the same time.

A few tall, well-dressed individuals appeared at Moominpappa's sides. Snufkin's stomach dropped as he recognized them _all_ from that awful hotel. There was the grey-skinned man with the mustache, a gray Hemulen with orange hair, and that woman with the long nose and ponytail. They were dressed in designer shorts and carried backpacks that looked stuffed to bursting. All of them had their noses raised in that way that just _screams_ "we're better than you."

"Madame De Moomin!" The mustachioed man flounced over to Moominmamma, "Pappa De Moomin and I have spent the most **enjoyable** time together! This _extraordinary_ man has showed us the light! We have decided to leave our lives of extravagance behind, and lead the simple life of the common bohemian!" He looked over at the other two, who nodded. "I don't suppose you have room for four more on your coastline?"

"On the coastline?" Moominmamma looked utterly flabbergasted, "W-well of course. You're all most welcome."

He leaned down to kiss her hand, "Mercí."

The other two went to set up their tents. Mamma watched as her husband went off to pace the beach with The Marquis, without giving a second thought to his wife whom he hadn't seen for days. Little My looked from person-to-person, and a big grin split across her face. They wouldn't last _a day_ out here. Snufkin, meanwhile, sat frozen in place, looking like he'd just been slapped.

He couldn't escape them. No matter where he went, they followed. This place, these people...they had already ripped Moomin away from him, and now they were taking his privacy too? The Riviera.. it wouldn't be satisfied until it had ripped Snufkin to pieces. Until everything that he held dear was stolen away and he couldn't resist its poison anymore. Until he was every bit as awful as this place and it's people. He looked over to Moominpappa, who didn't seem least bit concerned about his poor family. How long would it be till Snufkin was poisoned too?

"I'm going to go for a walk." He said to no one in particular. Moominmamma and Little My watched as he stalked off, leaving his pipe on their picnic blanket.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moomin's feet dragged against the hot pavement. He kept his eyes on the sidewalk underfoot to avoid the glare of the sun and of the people around him. He knew he smelled an awful fright, having slept in the dirt the previous night and now being covered in sweat. It was plain to see that his fur was quite dirty as well, giving him an overall 'homeless' aesthetic. He licked his lips, he was _very_ thirsty. And hungry too, for that matter. He braved a look at his surroundings, but nothing was familiar. All the pretty buildings looked the same, giving no indication of where he was or where he was going. He sighed. Feet aching, head pounding, and stomach growling, he did the one thing he could do- escape into fantasy. Looking at all the finely-dressed people around him, he decided to imagine if one of them were Snufkin.

_"My poor Moomintroll." He'd say, "Out in the world all alone! Oh, i'll never let you out of my sight again."_

_Then he'd sweep Moomin away from the tall buildings and fancy people, and make him his favorite stew. They'd curl up together under his spare blanket and cover each other with kisses. Then when the morning came, they'd sail away from this place, all the way back to Moominvalley! Mamma would go back to her rose garden, Pappa would go back to his memoirs, and Snorkmaiden wouldn't care even a little for Riviera life. He and Snufkin would wile away their days together once more. Spending hours talking about nothing in particular, and just adoring each other's company._

"Hey! Watch it!"

Moomin was snapped out of his fantasy by an angry-looking man who bumped his shoulder. He mumbled an apology, and the man stormed off, leaving Moomin with nothing but cold reality. He stared at his feet, trying to scrap up _some_ motivation to keep moving. In the corner of his eye, he noticed a brick wall painted blue. Stumbling over, he leaned against it and closed his eyes. His aching head buzzed, attempting to slip into unconsciousness, but his pleading stomach prevented that. Smacking his dry lips, he cracked an eye open. The word 'PRIVATE' was printed across the blue wall.

_Private..._

His eyes snapped open. All at once, he remembered a wall that read 'PRIVATE' across it just like this one on the way to that big house! He looked up to see a tree...with REAL oranges! Now he FINALLY knew where he was! Now filled with energy, he turned back and ran. Every part of his body protested, but it was hard to notice them when he was so relieved! Sure enough, he reached a tall metal gate that read 'WELCOME' at the top. He'd made it. He limped over to the entrance, his energy spent. His vision was going fuzzy, his whole body ached, his head pounded, but he still marched on till he reached the door. Once inside, he leaned against the doorframe to rest for just a second. His tired eyes winced at how red the lobby was. The various guests strewn about regarded him with crinkled noses. One of the long-nosed men with the red-gold suits and funny hats walked up to him.

"Oh..hello." He breathed. "I'm here...for my room.."

"I am sorry, but I am afraid we do not serve your kind of clientele here. I must ask you to leave."

"Wh-what?" He stammered, as two more men came over. "What are you talking about?"

"We do not serve your kind of clientele here, and you must leave."

That didn't really clear things up for Moomin. These men had been so kind to him earlier, letting his family stay in their house, why were they suddenly asking him to leave? He was _so close_ to seeing his family again. Why wouldn't they just let him see them?!

"Bu-But..but my family-"

"Sir, we have asked you twice now. If you do not leave, we shall be forced to call security."

Moomin had no idea what that meant, but it didn't sound good. He looked to their faces, there wasn't a trace of sympathy on them. He looked past them. The people in the lobby gossiped and glared, looking at him like he was a piece of garbage that had blown in. He didn't have a single friend here, and there was nothing he could do. His eyes began to well up with tears as he turned to leave-

"Moomin!"

A feminine voice called out. Everyone turned to see a Snork with blonde fringe running towards Moomintroll.

"Snorkmaiden!" He called back, tears falling down his face. She immediately wrapped in a hug.

"Madame you... _know_ this man?" One of the bellhops asked.

"Of course I do!" She pulled away from Moomin to glare at the man. "He's one of the De Moomins! He's been staying with me in the Royal Suite! The poor thing's been missing for days and you were going to throw him out on the street!" She pointed up at the bellhops, "You should be ashamed of yourselves! All of you! Treating somebody so poorly just for being a little dirty...you all ought to be ashamed!"

A silence fell over the lobby. The hotel patrons looked at her with shocked eyes and offended stares. The bellhops could only bow in apology. Moomin stood there, holding himself while tears continued to fall down his cheeks. Finally, Snorkmaiden grabbed his hand and led him away. Everyone in the room stared as she and Moomin left, but she didn't spare them a single glance. Moomin continued to sniffle as they ascended the stairs.

"I'm glad you're back." She said, once they were out of sight, "Everyone was so worried, you know. Especially Snufkin. He and Mamma went to go live on the beach..."

Moomin was only barely registering what she was saying. Not only was he exhausted beyond all belief, but he was still quite badly shaken up from how he'd been received. He kept on crying, not having the energy to pull himself together.

"I'm...so thirsty.." He wailed.

"Don't worry, we're almost there."

Soon enough, they reached their grand suite. Moomin was just about ready to collapse against the doorframe, but Snorkmaiden led him over to the bed. Then, she went to the sink to pour him a nice, tall glass of water. He gulped it down the second she placed it in his hands.

"You look just awful." Snorkmaiden noted, as she went to refill his glass, "Where have you been?"

Moomin mumbled something about meadows and alleyways, barely able to keep his eyes open. Snorkmaiden handed him another glass, which he promptly downed. He tried tell her more about where he'd been, but his words got jumbled together as exhaustion overtook. Fortunately, Snorkmaiden was there to take the now-empty glass, lay him down on the bed, and spread the covers over him.

"You can tell me all about it once you've rested. Then we can go down to the beach and tell the others you're alright."

He couldn't understand what he was talking about, but he smiled anyways. Laying in a bed again after spending multiple nights sleeping in the dirt was like _pure heaven._ The world around him grew darker as his head sank into the fluffed-up pillows. He got one last look at Snorkmaiden before finally falling asleep.


	12. Ravages and Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Moominmamma forgets to cook, Snorkmaiden goes to the beach, and a reunion is had.

"Straight flush!" Little My cackled.

"Again?!" The other players around the beach blanket moaned and threw down their cards. For the fifth time that day, the plate filled with money clips and expensive jewelry was hers for the taking. 

"She's cheating! She has to be!" A stout man in glasses pointed at Little My.

"Now, now. Don't make a fuss!" The hemulen with orange hair said, "It's important to be a good loser!"

"But i'm a _professional poker player!"_ He fired back, "And that girl just stole more than a thousand dollars from me!"

"Settle down! What do we need money for anyway? We're _bohemians_ now! All personal possessions do is way you down, right Audrey?"

"Right..." Audrey Glamour grumbled, as Little My used her grandmother's Pearls as floss.

"You know, Audrey..." A woman with long black hair and glasses said, "I was just thinking about how _freeing_ it is to live on the beach! It's so _liberating_ to live out in the wild, with no one taking care of you!"

"Oh yes, of course!" Audrey stuck her nose in the air, "That's why I came out here! To experience TRUE independence!"

"Would either of you care for some sparkling water?"

Moominmamma approached the two, carrying a tray full of water glasses. Both the lovely ladies took a glass without even bothering to thank her. But she didn't have time to admonish them. She had to see if the others wanted water, then check on Snufkin, then cook lunch, then wash the clothes that their guests had brought with them. The Marquis' controversial decision to move out to the beach had caused quite a stir in his social scene. While half of them had been utterly appalled at his decision, the other half thought him brilliant. A free-thinking, spirited, misunderstood ar _tist!_ Oh how their hearts _ached_ with sympathy when they'd heard his tale. Thus, aristocrats, socialites, and movie stars flocked to the beach in droves. All to escapes the shackles of their obscenely wealthy upbringing! Of course, none of them knew how to make a campfire, or prepare a meal, or wash their own clothes. But why bother learning when that nice Moomin lady will do it for you? So, Moominmamma was at the beck-and-call of their many, _many_ guests. 

Moominmamma bustled along the seashore that had become filled with tents, trying to reach her husband. Luckily, it wasn't too hard to find him, all she had to do was look for the elephants! Sure enough, Moominpappa was right there, chatting with The Marquis.

"H-Hello dear." She panted, "Would either of you like some water?"

"Oh, hello dear." Moominpappa said, just noticing her for the first time. "Why thank you. Being a creative is **such** thirsty work, you know."

"I can see that dear..." She looked over at the elephant sculptures that dotted the shoreline. Ever since joining them on the beach, Marquis Mongaga had thrown himself into sculpting the one thing that interested him- elephants. 

"My dear, dear friends!" The Marquis jumped down from the rock he'd been carving. "I cannot tell you how much i'm enjoying being a poor, starving artist!"

"Oh, of course!" Pappa handed him a glass, "Is there any other way to live, really?"

"Of of course! This is living at it's finest! Most authentic!"

Mamma excused herself as the two men toasted. While scurrying off, she glanced at her rock garden. She hadn't watered the poor thing yet, she simply hadn't the time! But she didn't have time for dwelling either, she had to check on Snufkin. Ever since their... _guests_ moved in, he stopped coming out to fish. Or to eat with the others, or to look for Moomin. Now he just spent every second of the day in his tent. While the others seemed quite content to leave him be, Moominmamma knew this wasn't normal for him. So, she scurried over to his tent, tripping over sunbathers and designer blankets along the way.

"Snufkin?" She knocked on his tent. No response. "Snufkin, are you in there, dear?"

She could hear some shuffling from inside the tent. It was a bit difficult to make out, with all the people talking around her, but she was certain she could hear him moving. After a moment, his zipper opened just a crack allowing her to see his eye.

"Hello Snufkin." She crouched down to his eye level, "May I come in?"

The zipper pulled up just enough for her to crawl in. Placing her tray down, she wriggled inside the green tent. As soon as she was inside, the entrance was zipped shut again.

"Hullo Moominmamma." He said as she settled in.

"Hello dear." She dusted off a little spot to sit in, "How have you been?"

"Fine."

Though he sat directly across from her, he wasn't looking her in the eye. He kept his head turned a bit, so their gazes wouldn't meet. Mamma couldn't help but worry she'd done something to upset him.

"Good, that's...good."

He grunted in response. Mamma opened her mouth, but closed it again. Even from inside the tent, they could still hear the many conversations going on outside. People were laughing, gossip, toasting fine wine, all that good stuff. Snufkin bristled at them. Mamma saw the way he tensed up, and searched her mind for something to say. Something that could make him feel better. But her poor brain was so fried that she couldn't find even a single kind word. She just let out a mighty yawn.

"That was a big one." Snufkin noted.

"Oh!" She jumped, "It's nothing! Suppose I just woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning, that's all."

Snufkin watched as she rubbed her eyes and stretched a bit. She was trying to hide it, but her voice held none of it's usual quiet cheer. It was slow, dour, almost lifeless. 

"Would you like to hear a song i've been working on?"

"Oh," Her eyes snapped open, "that's very kind. But not right now, I have to make lunch for everyone...and then I have to do the laundry, and then I have to-"

"It'll just take a second." He reached for his mouth organ. "And I want you to hear it."

Moominmamma opened her mouth to protest, but then Snufkn brought the instrument to his lips. And she was trapped.

"Well...alright. If it won't take too long."

Snufkin smiled and began to play. Mamma was expecting something jaunty, something bouncy and playful. Like the songs he played for Moomintroll! But instead it was...soft. It was one of those tunes that was light as air, and soft as a cloud. It seemed to glide around the tent as Snufkin played, and Moominmamma found herself swaying along to it Her eyelids began to feel heavier as the song enveloped her in a gentle embrace. She shook her head, tried to blink awake, but it was a losing battle. Eventually, her head became too heavy to hold up anymore, and she fell onto her side. The tune continued it's dance, only stopping at the sound of soft snores from Moominmamma.

The song stopped, and Snufkin looked over at Moominmamma. She had curled up on her side, . He smiled and got up to fetch his spare blanket. The Moomins were notoriously deep sleepers, so she probably wouldn't be up for a few hours at least.

 _She deserves it._ Snufkin thought to himself, as he draped the blanket over her.

He frowned at the noise outside of his tent. Those _parasites_ had sucked poor Moominmamma dry. They could go without their lunch for one day. He brought his mouth organ to his lips and played once more, trying to block out the noise. 

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Snorkmaiden strut down the street, in her best pair of beach pyjamas. There wasn't really anybody around to see her, but she didn't care. She knew she was gorgeous, regardless if anyone knew or not. Though, she would admit, the silence was bit unnerving. It was sunset now, and the few that stayed in the city had gone home for the day. So many socialites had opted to join the Marquis and his friends on the beach. And now, the once-bustling city felt like a ghost town! The streets that used to be filled with fancy cars were now almost barren, save for a few stragglers. Some stores opted to close early, as business had slowed to a halt. Yes, it seemed that bohemian living was the _wave of the future_ for The Riviera. Which is exactly why Snorkmaiden was headed to the beach. She certainly wasn't going to be left behind! 

Besides, she had to tell the others that Moomin was back. He was still fast asleep when she'd left, so she'd made sure to leave him a note. Wouldn't want him to be confused when he woke up! She smiled to herself, Mamma and Snufkin would be so relieved when she told them the news. They'd left in such in hurry without any explanation, but she knew it was because of Moomin's absence. But now he was back, and they could all camp together on the beach! With all the film stars and nobility there, it was sure to be glamorous~

Then she got to the beach, and it was on fire.

Well that's a bit of an exaggeration. The beach _itself_ wasn't on fire. But someone's tent was! And people were running around, looting each other's tents and getting into fist-fights. Snorkmaiden couldn't believe her eyes. These people were the jewels of high society, the crème de la crème! But here they were, acting like animals. A woman with a long neck wearing pearls grabbed Audrey' Glamours ponytail and punched her in the face! Moominpappa wrestled with an orange haired Hemulen over an air matress! A stout woman ran out of someone's tent carrying armfuls of money and jewelry! There were elephant statues tipped over in the water or smashed to pieces! It was chaos.

Her blood turned to ice as she felt a hand grab at her skirt. She opened her mouth to yell, but a hand clamped over her mouth! Another arm slinked around her stomach and began to pull her away. But she refused to go down without a fight! She wriggled with all her might, elbowed the attacker, knocked the back of her head against their's. Anything to escape!

"Ow! _Snorkmaiden!"_ The attacker growled through grit teeth. And Snorkmaiden knew she'd heard that deep voice before.

"Wha- Snufkin?!" She said, but it was rather unintelligible with his hand over her mouth.

He didn't respond. Instead, he yanked her aside to hide behind the shrubs of Moominmamma's rock garden.

"Shh." He crouched down next to her. "We need to be quiet."

He paused for a minute to see if anyone had noticed them. Luckily, it seemed they were too busy fighting and looting to hear them.

"Come on." Snufkin began to crawl away, and she followed.

"Wh-what's going on? What happened?" Snorkmaiden squeaked.

"Shh! I'll explain in a minute!"

Snorkmaiden looked over her shoulder at the pandemonium. People were trampling over each other, clawing at them, ripping their designer clothes to shreds. She sucked in a sharp breath and looked back to Snufkin, trying to steady herself. At least her beach pyjamas gave her knees some protection from the coarse sand. When they were a bit farther away, Snufkin sprang to his feet, and pulled Snorkmaiden to hers. Gripping her hand tightly, he began to run. Snorkmaiden was beginning to feel dizzy, but she held onto Snufkin and focused on running. Eventually, they came to the shallow waters filled with stalagmites. 

"Snufkin, Snorkmaiden!" Moominmamma's voice called. She and Little My were crouched in the water, camouflaged among the rocks.

"Moominmamma!" Snorkmaiden cried. "What in the world happened?!"

"It's the end of the world!" Little My cackled, "Everyone's gone mad and we're all going to die!"

"It's all my fault!" Moominmamma's voice cracked, "I was fast asleep, I-I didn't wake up in time to make lunch! Or dinner! They were so upset...a-a fight broke out! And oh..they've only gotten angrier and angrier!"

"They turned on each other like a pack of wolves!" Little My said.

"Bunch of puffed-up loons, can't do anything for themselves..." Snufkin mumbled.

Snorkmaiden sat in the sand, trying to absorb all this information at once. Little My climbed on top of a rock to better observe the fight. From this distance, the sparring figures looked like little shadow puppets against the growing fire. Snufkin lit his pipe and looked out to the ocean, trying to ignore the shouting and screams in the distance. Snorkmaiden looked back over at the camp. She just couldn't believe it. She'd eaten breakfast with those people, gone to parties with them, read about them in magazines, admired them for years. And here they were, trying to kill each other over a missed meal? She drew her knees up to her chest, what kind of place was this?

Just then, she heard a sniffle. Then two. Then a little pained gasp. She looked up to see Moominmamma hugging herself as tears ran down her face.

"M-Moominmamma? Wh-what's wrong?"

"I want to go home!" She sobbed, "I want to go home! I just want to go home..."

Moominmamma buried her face in her hands and heaved broken sobs. Snorkmaiden looked to Little My and Snufkin, having no clue what to do. Luckily, they did. Snufkin walked into the rocky waters and enveloped Moominmamma in a hug. Little My jumped down from her rock and landed on Snufkin's hat, to join in. Moominmamma wrapped her arms around Snufkin and cried into his shoulder. Little My leaned her head on top of Mamma's, and pet the top of her head. All Snorkmaiden could do was sit and watch. She looked to the sobbing Moomin, then to the flaming camp, and couldn't help but feel responsible. Going to The Riviera had been HER idea, and look what happened. Moominmamma and Snufkin were miserable, Moominpappa was fighting with strangers, and Moomin was...Moomin was...

"Moomin's back!" She yelled suddenly. Moominmamma flinched, causing Snufkin to stumble backwards and Little My to fall into the water.

"Wh-what was that, dear?" She turned to Snorkmaiden, wiping at her eyes.

"Moomin's back! That's what I came to tell you! I found him back at the house, he's there right now!"

Just like that, Moominmamma's eyes lit up. She looked to Snufkin, whose mouth was agape. The two of them looked at each other with wide, hopeful eyes and said nothing.

"Pah!" Little My's head popped up from the water. "Hey! Is anyone gonna help me out?"

Snufkin didn't. He ran out of the water and right past Snorkmaiden, only stopping to yell, "Come on, you lot! I'm not waiting for you!" Before dashing off again.

Moominmamma fished Little My out. "He's got the right idea, let's go!"

She regarded Snorkmaiden with a big smile, her previous misery gone, before running off. Snorkmaiden sighed to herself, relieved. She looked again the ruined campsite. The fight was still going and the flames were still burning, with no end in sight. She shook her head, they'd deal with _that_ later.

"Wait for me!" She called, "Do you even remember the way?"

The group tore through the streets, desperate to get back to the hotel. Snufkin was at the head, outrunning the others by a huge margin. Anyone who saw him knew to get out of his way, or they risked losing a limb. Moominmamma followed behind with a hand on her heart, eager to be reunited with her baby. The other hand dragged Little My along as she flopped about in the wind. Snorkmaiden was at the very end, huffing and puffing to keep up.

"Snufkin!" She called, "Do you know where you're going?"

He ignored her and kept rushing onwards. It hardly mattered, as he knew what they were looking for. A huge building with a gate that read "Welcome to The Grand." And as soon as it came into view, he ran even faster. Not being able to bear _another second_ away from his Moomin. The others scurried behind, and together they tore past the garden and burst through the revolving door! Shattered glass littered the floor as the group stood in the entranceway, the staff all turned to stare.

"Oh, oh dear." Moominmamma stuttered as she came back to reality.

"That was fun!" Little My laughed.

"Excuse me!" A bellhop approached them, "Who is going to pay for that-"

Snufkin grabbed him by the collar and growled,

**_"W H E R E I S H E?"_ **

"Snufkin!" Snorkmaiden panted, "This way, come on!"

Moominmamma grabbed Little My and followed Snorkmaiden. Snufkin threw the bellhop aside to do the same. The chase was back on as the four of them pounded up the stairs. Snorkmaiden began to slow down, exhausted from her earlier runs. But Moominmamma and Snufkin ran on, fueled by love.

"He's in our old room!" She called as they passed her, "Remember, from before?"

With that, she stopped to catch her breath. Mamma and Snufkin kept going, running up staircase after staircase, undeterred. Eventually, they made it to the door of the royal suite. Snufkin raced forward and threw the door right open. He practically collapsed against the doorway, while Mamma came up from behind him.

"Oh dear, are you alright?" She place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Ha! That's what you get for smoking!" Little My laughed.

"Mamma? Snufkin?"

Their heads snapped up at the sound of Moomin's soft voice. There he was. Standing at the center of room. Freshly woken up, and well-rested. They stared at him. He stared at them. Nobody said anything.

"I'm...i'm sorry.." Moomin fiddled with his hands, "..f-for running away like I di-"

His voice caught in his throat as Snufkin tackled him.

"MOOMIN!" He cried. "Moomin! Moomin! My Moomin! Oh, my Moomin!"

Mamma wrapped her arms around the couple, "Oh, my darling! I was so worried!"

"You gave everyone a real scare!" Little My kicked him, "You should be ashamed!"

Finally, Snorkmaiden came in, "M-Moomin.." She panted, "Are you in?"

"Ah-"

He opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Snufkin's mouth smashing over his. Then, he pulled away to give a kiss to his snout. Then to his cheek, then to his forehead, then to his snout again. He felt something wet tap his shoulder, and looked to see his mother. Tears were running down her face, but she had a big smile to go with them. Sharp pain hit it against his shin, as Little My had kicked him again. Snufkin kissed him some more, Mamma hugged him as tight as she could, and Little My laughed. Not knowing what to do, he looked to Snorkmaiden, standing in the doorway. She smiled.

"I think they missed you."


	13. Smiles and Swimming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Moomintroll and Snufkin go for a swim.

Snufkin wouldn't let go of him. Not even for a second.

Snufkin held tight to Moomintroll, even after Moominmamma relinquished her hold on the boy. He held on, as Moomin explained to everyone where he'd been, arms wrapped around his shoulders. He held on as they went to get dinner, clasping Moomin's hand underneath the table. Little My retched as he hugged the troll's arm on the way back to their room. He held on tight to Moomin throughout the night, as if he were afraid the troll would disappear again if he let go.

And Moomintroll _wished_ he could enjoy it.

He wished so desperately to be happy. To be able to swing his partner around and cover in him kisses. To be as deliriously happy as he thought he'd be upon being reunited with Snufkin. But he just...wasn't. And he didn't know why. He wanted to, he knew he should, he had no reason NOT to be! His family had found him, he and Snufkin were together again, and they'd all likely be going home soon! Everything was perfect.

But he had this...uneasy feeling. He felt it every time Snufkin kissed him, stroked his hand, said "I love you." And he couldn't quite pin down _what_ it was! Annoyance? Anxiety? Restlessness? He had no idea! All he knew was that, every time Snufkin was affectionate, his mind flashed back to that awful night. To those sneering, swirling faces that glared at the two of them while they danced. To Snufkin's calm, self-assured smile as he brought Moomin to the dance floor, knowing EXACTLY what would happen. To all the terror, helplessness, and _humiliation_ he'd felt that night. All those feelings that hadn't really left him yet. And he just _wouldn't_ be able to let himself feel happy around Snufkin.

But he didn't say anything. Not one word. He just let Snufkin continuously shower him with affection, without a single word of objection. And so, Snufkin clung and doted. Too ecstatic about being back together to notice his boyfriend's discomfort. This went on all through the night, until it was finally time to turn in.

Snufkin's arm lay across his boyfriend as he slept. He and Moomin were situated quite cozily in the corner of the room where his tent once stood. But said tent was back on the beach, and there was no WAY Snufkin was going back for it until tomorrow! So, Mamma had taken all but two pillows from the bed, stripped the chair of its cushion, gathered up two nice, big blankets, and made a lovely nest for the boys! Snufkin was snoring peacefully, his head buried into Moomin's shoulder. He was so close that Moomin could feel his breath tickle the hairs on his neck. He lay still and peaceful, dead to the world. Completely oblivious to how his boyfriend lay tense and stiff as a board.

Moomin stared up at the ceiling as his family slept, feeling...uncomfortable. Like there was an itch he couldn't scratch, a little splinter in his mind, poking at his brain. A little thing that that got bigger and more painful, the longer he tried to ignore it. It made him want to claw at his head to get it out. To scratch and growl, and spit at anyone who tried to stop him. His breathing picked up, as he fought down those urges. He glanced at the sleeping mumrik next to him, and thought of all sorts of mean things he could say. Things about betrayed trust, ruined vacations, and disappointment. About park keepers who chased him out, about being scared, lost, and hungry. In his mind, he could so clearly see Snufkin's eyes well with guilt and hurt. His own eyes bore into his sleeping partner. What right did he think he had, to sleep so peacefully after what he'd done? He'd tricked Moomin, embarrassed him on purpose, forgot about him on the beach, made a fool of him time and again! Had that been his plan all along? Come along with the family just to hurt him? Well it wasn't going to work!

Moomin pushed away Snufkin's arm, and wriggled out of the blanket nest. Despite his anger he was quite careful with his feet, not wanting to wake any of the room's many patrons. His breath caught as Snufkin began to stir, feeling around for the absent Moomin. Luckily, his arm found a pillow that seemed to satisfy him, as he settled back down. Moomin grit his teeth. Of _course_ Snufkin forgot about him so easily. The ladies in the bed didn't stir either, but that didn't bother him as much. Quietly as a mouse, he tip-toed over to the balcony. He needed some air.

It was a lovely night. The air was warm, with a cool breeze drafting about. From the balcony, Moomin had a rather generous view of the beach. The ocean was completely dark now, stretching out into the night sky. No stars though. That was one of the things Moomintroll missed the most about home. Watching the stars on quiet nights. He shivered, as he was suddenly reminded of waiting on the beach not too long ago. Sitting up all night, waiting for a mumrik who'd forgotten about him. Shaking the memory away, he forced himself to look away from the horizon. Thus, his eyes fell to the palm-tree filled terrace beneath him.  
The Riviera did have such a marvelous pool. It was quite big, and one could get such a lovely view of the ocean from it! The water that was usually gold was now a soft shade of green, thanks to the lights at the bottom. Now, it had a soft, inviting glow to it. As if it were beckoning Moomin to come for a swim. The troll looked to his room, then back to the luminescent waters. He'd been wanting to go swimming ever since they arrived here, but hadn't gotten the chance. Which made this the perfect time to escape for a bit. Tip-toeing past his family, Moomintroll made his escape.

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The moon shone down on the green pool as Moomin swam underneath. Moomintroll felt quite graceful. He knew that he wasn't doing much except swimming, but he didn't care right now. Because in here, he was free. No one could get to him in here, no one could touch him. Here, he didn't need to be anything for anyone. He could be everything and nothing all at once and none of it mattered. What a pity it was, that he had to come up for air. The moon's reflection broke, as his head popped up, sending ripples all around him. As he sucked in his much-needed air, he caught a glimpse of the moon above. Snufkin had once shown him how to tell time by looking at it's position in the sky. Looking at the moon now, he could tell that it was past midnight. He should probably be in bed, but he didn't _want_ to go back. Besides, he'd gotten plenty of rest before his family came in, he wasn't exactly hurting for more. He turned to float on his back, eyes still fixed on the moon above. The warm water carried the troll as he stared as the endless darkness above him. He was alone, and so very small, and it was all quite wonderful. He floated along, and thought about nothing in particular. If he wasn't careful, he very well may melt into water himself. But then, he thought, that wouldn't be so bad. He'd felt so angry before and couldn't remember why. He didn't want to think about it now. It didn't matter here. All that mattered was him. All that existed was him. And he was perfectly happy with that.

"Moomintroll?"

Moomin jumped, causing his head to dunk under, and get water up his snout. He kicked and sputtered and soon was upright again. Snufkin was there. Standing right by the pool. Staring at Moomin, as the poor troll almost drowned. With his awful hat, that made it impossible to glean any expression from him. He looked at Moomin. Moomin looked at him. The warm night air suddenly felt cold and cutting against Moomin's wet fur.

"I woke up, and you were gone." Snufkin said, looking down at Moomin. And deep inside the troll, something screamed.

_Oh, NOW you notice? NOW you care?!_

But it wasn't as big, or as loud as before. Most of Moomin's unhappiness had simmered down, leaving it a flickering ember of its former self. But still, it was there. Demanding attention. Demanding closure.

"I decided to go for a swim."

With that, he dunked underwater again. The warm waters embraced him once more, as he swam. A splinter of unease pricked his stomach, as he thought about Snufkin up there. Had he been rude? Hopefully Snufkin hadn't been _too_ worried about him. He was feeling a lot of things at the moment, but he didn't want to _inconvenience_ the mumrik. When his head resurfaced again, he was on the other side of the pool. And Snufkin was there too, standing on the edge, looking down at him.

"Come back to bed, dear."

Moomin looked up at him, his former annoyance beginning to flare up again. What right did Snufkin have to tell him what to do?

"I don't want to sleep. I want to swim."

He flopped onto his back, and pushed himself away from the pool's wall. Snufkin walked along the pool's edge as he floated along.

"You can do that in the morning. It's rather late for that now, come back to bed with me."

"No." He said, "I'm not tired. And I want to swim. I haven't had the chance for the whole time we've been here."

Snufkin sighed, before walking off. A flash of worry overtook Moomin, but calmed down when Snufkin plunked himself down in one of the nearby pool chairs.

"Come swimming with me." Moomin swam up to the edge of the pool, "The water's lovely!"

"No." Snufkin said. 

Moomin half-expected him to say more, but no. That was all he had to offer. And just like that, the flickering ember became a flame once more.

"Why do you always have to be so difficult?" Moomin said, before he had a chance to think. He regretted it as soon as Snufkin's head snapped up.

"Excuse me?" He growled.

"Nothing." 

He dunked back into the water, hoping Snufkin would just leave it be. No such luck, as the mumrik walked back over to the edge of the pool.

 **"I'm** being difficult, am I?"

The pit in Moomin's stomach grew as Snufkin glared down at him. It begged him to apologize, to not offend his boyfriend further. But the fires of annoyance had overtaken, and had more to say.

"Come swimming with me." He said again, more force behind it this time.

"No!" Snufkin crossed his arms.

"Why not?!"

"Because I don't _want_ to swim! I don't need a reason!"

"Then why did you even come here?"

Snufkin looked at him in disbelief, "What do you THINK I came here for?!"

"You know, i'm not quite sure at this point!"

He turned away from the mumrik, swimming to the other side of the pool again. But Snufkin began to walk there himself, causing Moomin to turn himself back around. Then Snufkin turned to walk in that direction too, causing Moomin to turn once more. But it was no use, Snufkin could walk there too. Finally, Moomin burrowed downwards into the water out of pure frustration. He gripped the sides of his head and let out a scream. Bubbles flew out from his mouth, taking his air supply with them. It suddenly dawned on Moomin that he hadn't made the _wisest_ decision there. Within a second, his head resurfaced again. Coughing and gasping for air.

"Moomintroll." Snufkin growled, glaring at him with crossed-arms, "Stop acting like a **child.** "

Moomin's eyes snapped open. He stared at the mumrik from the middle of the pool, and Snufkin instantly recognized the hurt look in eyes. It was the same way he looked at Snufkin before running off, the night of the party. Cold fear gripped at his insides as he realized this. Moomin, meanwhile, went back to swimming. The ever-growing pit having swallowed his anger up, leaving him with only regret. Snufkin was right. He _was_ acting childishly, what was wrong with him? Why was he being so terrible? Things had finally worked themselves out, and he had to go and ruin it all. Over a swim of all things. What had he been so angry for? Why did he have to go and ruin everything? He thought back to the stares he received from the socialites at this very pool. They looked at him like he wasn't worthy of Snufkin, and felt all at once like they had been right.

The sound of a splash shocked him out of his thoughts. 

He looked all around. One on of the pool chairs, Snufkin's clothes were laid. His hat, his smock, his shirt, trousers, and even his pipe lay abandoned. Behind him, the mumrik in question shot up, gasping for air. 

"Snufkin?!" Moomin yelped, causing his boyfriend to look over.

"Moomintroll." He said, much calmer that before.

Moomin had seen Snufkin naked plenty of times, but it was always a shock to him. He just looked so...un-Snufkin-like without his clothes! So much of his mystique and character came from his well-worn green smock, the hat that shadowed his eyes, and the pipe he always carried. When those were gone, he was just...a person. A pale, bald man with a big nose that was unremarkable in every way. And one that Moomintroll loved more than anything.

He swam over to Moomin, who was frozen in place, gripping the side of the pool. Snufkin did the same when he reached Moomin. Using one hand to steady himself, and using the other to cup Moomin's cheek. His eyes bore into Moomin's own, causing him to tense in anxiety.

"I'm sorry." Snufkin whispered, "Truly, I am."

Moomin looked down into the water, avoiding his gaze. "It's all right." He muttered.

"Moomin don't lie to me." The fingers cupping Moomin's face began to curl, "It _isn't._ I KNOW it isn't. And I need you to be honest with me."

Moomin looked up at him again, ready to argue that it _was_ fine. But then he saw how Snufkin was looking at him. His eyebrows were knit, his mouth pulled downwards into a frown, and his eyes were pleading. Practically begging Moomintroll to be honest. Looking for any way to make this all better.

"Snufkin, I...you..." Moomin sighed, it was time to be honest, "You hurt me. With what you did."

"I know." Snufkin breathed, "I'm sorry. I...I didn't think. At all. I only thought of myself, I didn't even think to ask if you...I should've never humiliated you like that."

"It's not just that." Moomin continued, "On the beach you...you forgot about me. I waited up all night for you, thinking some terrible thing had happened to you. Or that you...were angry with me for bringing you here...that you'd left me there on purpose."

"Moomin-" Snufkin interrupted, but Moomin kept talking.

"And thought that I..." He looked deep into Snufkin's eyes, steeling himself, "I thought that I deserved it."

The mumrik's eyes widened, mouth agape. Moomin once again looked away, unable to bear the look of pure horror in his boyfriend's eyes.

"No." He turned Moomin's face back to his own, "Moomin, no! You didn't! How could you ever...why would you think you deserved that?!"

"Because!" Moomin's voice cracked, "You weren't happy here! You still aren't! And I knew it was my fault! I was the one who asked you to come here, and you were absolutely miserable! I shouldn't of asked to come at all, I KNOW I shouldn't have! But I...I was so selfish and...and..."

"Moomin..." Snufkin stroked the troll's cheek with his thumb, "..no. You're not selfish. And even if you were, you didn't deserve to be forgotten. Or humiliated...you didn't deserve any of it."

"Snufkin..." Tears welled up in Moomin's eyes, "I...i'm sorry. This whole trip has been a disaster. I wish we'd never left Moominvalley. I'm sorry..."

The mumrik placed a kiss on Moomin's snout, before pressing up against his forehead.

"I'm sorry too, love." He whispered, "For everything i've done. I love you."

Moomin sniffled, "I love you too."

Snufkin let go of the pool's edge to wrap his arms around Moomintroll. Moomin wanted to do the same, but couldn't, as one of them needed to keep steady. So instead, he wrapped an arm around Snufkin's waist and cried, his tears dropping into the pool's waters. Snufkin pulled away and kissed his snout again. Moomin sniffled and pressed his forehead against Snufkin's.

"I think i'm ready to get out now."

Snufkin nodded, climbing out of the chlorine-filled waters as fast as he could. He then extended a hand, which Moomin took, and he helped his boyfriend out. Moomin sniffled again.

"You're still naked, you know."

Snufkin looked over to him, "So are you."

Moomin looked at him for a second, before breaking out into giggles. A smile bloomed across Snufkin's face, as the sound of Moomin's laughter warmed his heart. He hadn't heard it for so long.

"Moomintroll." Once again, he wrapped his arms around the troll. "My Moomintroll."

Moomin held the mumrik's waist as tight as he could. "My funny Snufkin."

The two pulled apart and kissed. It wasn't very long, or deep, and it wasn't filed with passion. But as far as the two were concerned, it was their happiest, most romantic moment to date. They were together again. It was a kiss of pure togetherness.


	14. Jail and Joy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Moominmamma makes decisions.

The soft rays of the morning sun peeked into the Moomins suite.

The sun was rising on the southern shores once again, bringing in what guaranteed to be a lovely morning. A morning full of fancy breakfasts, treks to the beach, and seaside jogs. One that the patrons of this particular room would be quite happy to sleep through. While many others were already rising to enjoy the day, the Moomins enjoyed a well-deserved rest. Even as the light of the sun filled the room, not a single of them stirred. They were all simply too exhausted to even acknowledge the morning light. Even SNUFKIN, who loved rising with the sun, couldn't be bothered. But who could blame him? Or any of them, really? They'd ALL had a crazy few weeks, with last night being the crown jewel of insanity! It's doubtful that you could find a single person who would argue that they'd hadn't earned a good night's sleep. Especially the ever-hardworking, ever-patient, and ever-loving Moominmamma. Over the course of this trip, the poor Moomin-mother had been pushed to her limit. Thrust suddenly into high-society, being separated from her son, living on the beach, and waiting hand-and-foot on a bunch of socialites! After such an awful run of luck, the least she deserved was a chance to sleep in!

So, what a pity it was that she was the first to wake that morning.

Moominmamma softly moaned as the sun began to illuminate their room. Turning over, she wrapped herself in blankets to block the outside light, and tried to fall unconscious again. She may have succeeded if it weren't for that nasty cramp in her leg twisting about! The mean 'ol thing pulled at Moominmamma, making her think of all the people on the beach that would want breakfast. Her mind began to stir, convinced that it needed to start working. She began to twist and pull against the blankets, fighting to get out. Finally, she sat upright in bed, and opened her eyes. Only then, did she notice her surroundings. She wasn't on the beach, under their old boat. She was in bed, in a nice warm room, with her family. And only then, did the events of the previous night come rushing back to her.

Moominmamma sighed, she'd woken herself up for nothing.  
Staring up at the ceiling, she sighed again. Exhaustion pulled at the recesses of her mind, urging her to fall back asleep. But it was no use, her brain was awake now, and it stirred for something to do. Something to look at, other than the overhead chandelier. Giving a mighty yawn, she pulled herself up, attempting to get a move on. But her body protested, wanting nothing more than to curl back into bed. So, she simply sat there, not doing much of anything. But then, her eyes went to the others occupying the room with her.

Snorkmaiden was to her left, on the other side of the bed. A sleepmask covered her eyes, a very smart choice in Moominmamma's opinion, and her dainty hand gripped the bedsheet. Between her and Moominmamma was Little My. And for as bad as Little My could be when she was awake, she looked positively angelic when she slept. Her usually-sneering face was completely devoid of its usual malice, and instead looked peaceful and relaxed. Mamma smiled, unable to resist how sweet Little My looked as she softly snored into the covers. Her smile only got bigger as she looked over to her boys.

Moomin and Snufkin were completely tangled up in one another. Moomins head rested on Snufkins shoulder, one arm laid across the mumriks chest and the other pillowing his neck. Snufkins right arm wrapped around his boyfriend, his head tilted towards him, while his other hand cupped Moomins face. The mumrik looked a mess, his hat and pipe gone, and his necktie & shirt being undone. Moominmamma gave a loving sigh, remembering how the two of them woke her just a few hours ago. She didn't know what happened, but at one point during the night, the two of them stumbled in from somewhere. They were giggling like schoolchildren, with Moomin only making a token effort to shush his boyfriend. She'd heard many giggles, kisses, declarations of love, and naughty innuendos before the two finally settled down again. She rolled her eyes; young love was as silly as it was beautiful.

As she watched her family, her energy slowly built back up, allowing her to heave her tired body out of bed. Breathing deeply, she lumbered herself over to the balcony to greet the morning. From their room, she could see the sun rising over the ocean. Its light kissed the shore, casting long shadows in its wake as it illuminated the city. Moominmamma smiled, as pinks and blues danced across the sky. If there was one thing she could appreciate about the South, it would be the sunrises.  
From the balcony, she could also see the beach. Looking over, she could see a few scattered tents and umbrellas, but no other signs of last night's fight. She shook her head, this place was just too outlandish. She looked back into the room, at her sleeping family.

"Today." She decided, "We're going home today, no matter what."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Usually, breakfast at The Grand was a rather low-key affair. People ordered their coffee and scones, gossiped about the latest goings-ons, and excused themselves. But not today. Today, the sun-deck was in an uproar. It seemed that every table was filled with people buzzing with conversation. The normally quiet breakfast station was now in a flurry of people shouting, talking over one another, and some outright panicking. Today, EVERYONE had their nose shoved into a paper, each one reading the same headline.

**BREAKING NEWS: 12 INJURED, COUNTLESS ARRESTED IN BEACHSIDE CATASTROPHE**

Over the course of the morning, thousands woke up to newspapers bearing that headline. On their doorsteps, at the newsstands, on the streetcorners, it was EVERYWHERE! News of what had transpired on the beach the previous night spread like wildfire. Details were fuzzy, but what _was_ known was that a riot had broken due to unknown circumstances. It had apparently gotten so bad that five cop cars were needed to break up all the fighting, razing, and looting. Reports said that twelve people were seriously injured, and those who weren't were all placed under arrest. Within a single day, a good portion of the Rivieria's uppercrust were either in the hospital, or in prison.

"It must have been those homeless folk!" A woman shrieked, over morning coffee, "I just KNEW something like this would happen! This is what happens when you let them run free!"

"It says here that Audrey Glamour has been arrested for assaulted and battery! Oh! And so has Papa de Moomin!" Another woman said.

"Ah, the De Moomins!" A man said, spreading marmalade over his toast, "Of COURSE they're behind this! Who else could it be but THOSE lunatics!"

"And poor Clark." The man next to him said, "To have his jaw broken like that..."

The sun-deck buzzed with noise. It seemed that everyone knew someone that was either in the hospital or in jail, and they were all confused. How did something like this even HAPPEN?! Things like this happened in poor communities and in slums, NOT in The Riviera! People swapped theories, gossip, even here-say! All in an attempt to fill in the blanks of what had happened that night.

"Excitable folk." Snufkin noted, overlooking the hub-bub.

The Moomins had once again gone down to the sun-deck for breakfast, and found themselves swiftly regretting it.

"And here I thought they _adored_ public spats." He said, before biting into his fried egg.

"I think they like it when a couple has a fight in public..." Snorkmaiden picked at her crêpes, "...not when their friends start a fire and get sent to jail."

He huffed, "No difference to them."

Snorkmaiden rolled her eyes and looked over to Moominmamma. She and her son were completely hidden behind the newspaper they'd picked up. Occasionally, one of them would let out a gasp, or an "Oh dear!" but for the most part, they were silent. Little My filled the silence, as she'd look over the newspaper, and cackle at some random misfortune.

"Moominpappa's really in trouble now!" She laughed.

"Oh, hush you!" Moomin snapped at her, before turning back to the paper.

Snufkin reached over to place a comforting paw atop his boyfriends. He hated seeing his poor darling in such a tizzy like this. Moomin turned his paw over, to clutch at Snufkins. The mumrik could tell by the way he gripped at his paw that, whatever he was reading, it wasn't good.

Finally, Moominmamma put the paper down with a sigh, "It's true...they've sent him to prison."

Snorkmaiden gasped, "Oh no!"

Little My cackled, "He got what was coming to him!"

"My!" Moomin snapped again, Snufkin ran a thumb over his paw.

"Well, that's a bit of a problem..." He grunted. "What shall we do?"

"It's simple!" Little My hopped onto the table, "We'll blow up the jailhouse! Get some of those leftover fireworks, and they won't know what hit them!"

"No!" Snorkmaiden yelled, "That's not going to solve anything! And keep your voice down, will you?"

"Well we can't just sit here and do nothing!" Moomin yelled back.

"Blood pressure, darling." Snufkin placed another paw atop Moomin's.

"Oh...Snufkin!" Moomin moaned, trying to restrain his temper, "You've been in prison before! What are we to do?!"

"First, you need to calm down." His voice took on a comforting tone, "Panicking like this won't solve anything."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" He yanked his paw away, "This is serious! Papa's gone to prison!"

"I know darling, but-"

"He'd better not drop the soap!" Little My said over them.

"MY!" Moomin, Snufkin, and Snorkmaiden shouted at the cackling Mymble.

"Now, now. Let's not fight." Moominmamma stood. "Let's just go over to the jailhouse, and speak to the warden. I'm sure he'd be willing to let Papa go if we explain everything to him."

"Are you sure about that?" Snufkin said, cringing at Moominmamma's naïvety.

"I'm certain." She nodded. "Come now!"

She went off, leaving her children to follow. Little My gladly jumped down to follow after, with Snorkmaiden following, a look of concern in her eyes. Moomin looked over to his boyfriend, uncertainty clear in his gaze.

Snufkin sighed, "Come on then, I guess."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The jailhouse was MUCH less crowded than they had expected it to be! With all the reports of "countless arrests" being made, the Moomins had expected it to be practically bursting with people! Well, it _was_ but only on the outside. The outside of the jailhouse was filled with people, the same ones that had supposedly been arrested the previous night! But instead they were out front, sitting and talking on the steps, lounging by fancy sports cars, and giving tearful interviews to reporters.

"Oh it was DREADFUL!" A woman cried into the camera filming her, "To be treated so BARBARICALLY! But they could see I wasn't one of those _heathens_ after all!"

Snufkin rolled his eyes as they went up the steps to the jailhouse. The family had to push past quite a few people on the way up, many of whom had stayed on the beach with them. Noticeably, many of them were accompanied by men in suits, carrying briefcases...  
In any case, the family managed to push past the crowd and into the jailhouse. Inside, there was a tall front desk, next to a barred-off cell. And who should be in that cell, than the one-and-only Moominpappa!

"My family!" He rushed forward as he saw them enter, but was blocked off by the bars.

"Dearest!" Moominmama ran to her husband.

"Oh darling, i'm so sorry!" He reached out to take her hands, "This is all my fault, I should have never-"

"Excuse me!" A long-nosed man sitting at the front desk sneered, "Do you have some business here?"

"Yes!" Moominmama looked up at the man, "Please, you MUST let my husband go! This all just a big misunderstanding-"

"Ah!" He hopped down from his stool, "You are Mrs De Moomin, then?"

"Yes. Please sir! You must let him go, I can assure you that-"

The man got into Moominmamma's face, and gave her a look that made Moomin want to punch him.

"Not on your life." He sneered.

"Oh sir, please! I'll do anything!" Moominmamma begged.

"No! No I say!" He walked past her, "This man has broken the law! And he needs to serve his time for it! We can't just let our prisoners go all willy-nilly!"

"What about all the people outside?" Moomin questioned, "Didn't they break the law too? You let them go free!"

"Y-Yes, well..." The man coughed, avoiding Moomin's gaze, "After some _further investigation,_ we found that they...they were mere victims themselves! Victims of _this man!_ This man who led them astray!"

As he said that, Moomin and Snufkin couldn't help but notice just how _stuffed_ the mans pockets seemed to be.

"And besides! You "De Moomins" have been a nuisance since you arrived! Disturbing private property, camping out on our protected beaches, and causing uproars with your _lifestyle."_ He said with a pointed glance at Moomin and Snufkin's interlocked hands. "You oughta count yourselves lucky I don't arrest the whole lot of ya!"

Moominmamma looked down, ashamed, while her boys glared at the man.

"Well then, how long is his sentence?" Snorkmaiden asked. "Since you won't be letting him go."

"Two years!" He hopped back on his still, "More than fair!"

"Two years!" Moominmamma gasped, "But we can't wait that long! We have to get back home!"

"You should've thought about that before camping out on our beach without authorization!"

"Oh dear...oh dear..." Moominmamma shook her head.

"It's alright..." Moominpappa said, "You all, go back to Moominvalley without me. I'll be fine..."

"We can't!" His son rushed to him, "We won't just leave you here!"

"There, there, my boy.." He put a hand on Moomin's shoulder, "I know, it's going to be hard. But...we'll have to make it through. Take care of your mother, and i'll see you all in two years time..."

With that, he retreated into the cell, sitting in one of the corners. Moominmamma looked to her husband, tears welling up in her eyes. Moomin pulled his mother into a side-hug, allowing her to lean on his shoulder. He looked over to the others. Snorkmaiden had a hand on Snufkin, whose teeth were bare as he glared at the warden. Little My looked on, having nothing she could say or do to fix this.  
Moomin sighed, as he rubbed his mother's shoulder. Two years. Two years they'd have to find a way to get on without his father. Then, in two years time, they'd have to drag themselves back to this miserable place to pick him up again. He looked over to the others again, he couldn't imagine that Snufkin would want to come back with them in two years time...

_Wait a minute..._ Moomin thought to himself, beginning to formulate an idea.

"Well!" He suddenly said, "It's not all bad! Just think, mama! In two years time, we get to come back here again!"

Moominmamma looked at him in shock, "W-What? Moomin-"

"Yes, i've just had a _splendid_ time here! With all of you! In fact, why don't we bring our friends with us next time?" 

The wardens head snapped up at this, encouraging Moomin to keep going.

"Yes, I think Sniff would just LOVE IT here! With so many people to swindle- I mean- sell to! Wouldn't you agree, Snufkin darling?"

Snufkin looked at his boyfriend like he'd just grown a second head. Before he could say anything, Moomin's eyes looked to the warden, then back at Snufkin. And he immediately caught on.

"Oh- Oh YES, my darling!" He strode over to Moomin, "In fact, why don't I invite my mother? It's been forever since I last saw her and all _thirty-four_ of her children! I'm sure they'd love it here, right Little My?"

Little My cackled, "Oh they'd love to stay here! Especially since their last house burned down! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to move in!"

"Don't forget Stinky!" Snorkmaiden piped up, "He gets so _bitey_ when we leave him out of things!

The wardens face began to turn green as the family discussed their plans. He tried to tell himself that they bluffing, but they were _country folk,_ they weren't smart enough to think like that! Besides, they did all KINDS of backwards things in the valley, if those boys holding hands were any indication! Who KNEW what kind of characters they could bring into The Riviera?  
Moominmamma looked to the wardens face, then to her children, then to her husband. Suddenly, it all clicked in her mind what they were doing.

"You know, my dears..." She said, "Instead of coming back in two years time, why don't we just move in?"

The wardens neck nearly snapped as his head swung over to Moominmamma.

"What a splendid idea, mama!" Moomin cheered, "We can have a big moving-in party, and invite all our friends!"

"Why not the whole valley?" Snorkmaiden said, "They'll all miss us so much! I wouldn't be surprised if they decide to move in here too!"

"Then it's settled!" Moominmamma said, "We shall send an invitation to the valley, and-"

"WAIT!"

The warden's screamed silenced the Moomins chatter.

"If I let this man go..." He pointed a shaking hand to Moominpappa, "...will you SWEAR to never come back?!"

"Oh, it shall be such a shame to go..." Moominmamma crooned, "...but, for my husband, I shall do anything!"

"Then it's settled!" He hopped down once more to unlock the cell, "I'm giving you until tomorrow to leave, and if you're still here in the morning, i'll arrest you all!"

"Oh thank you, sir!" Mamma cried as her husband was let out.

Moominpappa immediately rushed out of the cell, and into his wife's arms.

"Dearest!" Moominmamma cried.

"Darling!" Moominpappa cried back, "I'm so sorry for everything, my dear. I've been such a fool!"

"Nevermind that now!" She shook her head, "We're all together again, and that's all that matters!"

Moomin rushed over to hug his parents, as did Snorkmaiden. Little My stuck her tongue out in disgust at the sheer amount of _affection_ on display!

"Disgusting!" She retched.

"Oh, quiet you." Snufkin smiled, before sneaking up behind Moomin.

"My Moomin." He whispered, slinking an arm around his stomach, "My clever little troll."

"Shh, Snufkin!" Moomin grinned, leaning back to his boyfriend's hug, "You'll get us arrested!"

"Hmm...it's worth it." He snuggled into the giggling Moomin's shoulder.

"Eugh!" The warden shivered in disgust, "That's it! All of you! Out of my fine establishment before I lock you all up!"

"Gladly sir!" Moominmamma called, "Ready, now?"

She linked arms with her husband, who linked arms with their son, who linked arms with his boyfriend. Arm-in-arm, the family exited the jailhouse, laughing and humming all the way.


	15. Escapes and The Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we say goodbye.

“Can we visit it?”

A group of beach-goers admired Moominmamma’s rock garden. The poor thing had gotten a bit roughed up in the beach brawl, but it didn’t look too worse for wear. In fact, the slight wreckage only made it more wild and “exotic” in their eyes.

“Of course you can.” Moominmamma nodded.

“How much is it?” One of them said, reaching into her purse.

“It’s free.” Mamma replied

With that, she painted a big red X over a sign in front reading PRIVATE. (Snufkin had dug it up for her for that exact purpose.) The beachgoers flooded into her garden, admiring her pure botanical genius, while she just smiled. Perhaps this could teach them a thing or two about agriculture. Putting her handbag down, she went to go check on Moominpappa and Snorkmaiden.

“How’s it coming along, now?”

Moominpappa grunted, as he and Snorkmaiden flipped the boat right-side-up once more.

“Don’t you worry!” He said, cracking his back, “We’ll have this boat ready to sail in a jiffy!”

“I can’t believe you really lived under here for so long.” Snorkmaiden shook her head, “Seems absolutely dreadful if you ask me!”

“It has its charms.” Moominmamma said, “Besides, I think Snufkin was far more comfortable out here than he’d been in our hotel room.”

Snorkmaiden flipped her bangs, “Well, I’d still prefer a night at The Grand any day!”

“Oh I don’t know about that.” Moomimamma said, remembering the huge bill they’d been presented with, “They were rather demanding there if you ask me.”

“Speak for yourself, I think it was all splendid!”

Moominmamma chuckled, saying nothing more. After all, it was Snorkmaiden’s winnings at that peculiar shop that paid for all their expenses. So she could think whatever she liked, Mamma supposed.

“Talking of camping,” Moominpappa interrupted, “Where are Snufkin and Moomin? I should think they’d be here helping!”  
“They stepped out for a bit.” Moominmamma said, “Moomin said he had something he wanted to show Snufkin.”

“Hmph! Well!” Pappa huffed, “They should do well to keep watch over the time! We must be out of here as quickly as possible!”

“Don’t worry dear, I can’t imagine they’ll be long.”

Little My popped out of Moominmamma’s handbag.

“Or perhaps they’ve both been arrested and we’ll never leave this place!”

“MY!” All three of them yelled as she cackled.

Luckily, Moomin and Snufkin weren’t too far off. In fact, they were going somewhere rather close to the campsite. Snufkin didn’t know that, however, as he was strictly forbidden from looking up. Moomin was up front, leading him by the hand, while his hat hung in front of his eyes. As you can imagine, it made walking rather awkward since he could only look down at his feet.

“Ah!” He yelped as he stumbled.

“Snufkin!” Moomin gasped, “Are you alright?”

“M’fine.” He straightened himself, “Just tripped is all.”

Moomin sighed in relief, before turning to go.

“You know dear,” Snufkin readjusted his hat over his eyes, “It’s a bit of a pain trying to walk like this.”

“Well don’t worry, we’re almost there! And trust me, it’ll be worth it!”

Snufkin grunted in response. Honestly, he couldn’t imagine he’d be impressed by anything here, but Moomin had been so insistent on coming here. And really, it’s not like he could deny Moomin. He just wasn’t very good at that.  
Suddenly, Moomin let go of his hand.

“Okay, wait right here. Don’t look until I tell you!”

Snufkin sighed as Moomin scampered off, “Yes, dear.”

Rolling his eyes, he crossed his arms, and resisted the urge to tap his foot. He was rather looking forward to finally leaving this place, and wasn’t too keen on having to wait even longer. Especially not with the heat beating down on his poor exposed arms. Getting to wear his smock again was just one of the many reasons he was looking forward to going home. Though, he was able to make out the chirps of bugs and the smell of flowers here, so that was probably a good sign. Besides, after the complete and utter disaster this trip had turned into, the least Snufkin could do was let Moomin have his fun. He owed him that much after all he’d done.

“Okay, open your eyes!”

Snufkin lifted his hat, and his eyes widened in shock. This was the “private” wild meadow he and Moominmamma had come to ages ago! Only now, the private signs were all dug up and discarded on the ground, where wild foliage grew over them. The flowers that had been meticulously separated for aesthetic purposes now grew in wild harmony. The grass that had been trimmed to perfection now happily sprouted wherever it pleased. The plants grew wild and untamed, reaching up to the sky in pure freedom! 

“Surprise!” Moomin thrusted a bouquet of wildflowers into Snufkin’s hands.

“Moomin…” Snufkin looked around in awe, “What is all this?”

“It’s a wild meadow! I came here to rest when I was...well you know.” Snufkin’s heart sank at that statement, “Anyways! I stayed here for a while and no park keeper showed up! And I saw how everything was so free here, and I knew you’d love it! So what do you think?”

Snufkin looked at the wild meadow, to the flowers in his hands, then to Moomin. What did he think? What should he say? Should he tell Moomin that he was the one who chased off the park keeper? That this was the reason he’d forgotten about Moomin on the beach? That his own selfishness led to Moomin needing to camp out here in the first place?

“Snufkin?” Moomin reached a hand out to him, “Are you okay?”

Snufkin didn’t say anything, he just looked at Moomin. His sweet, loving, considerate Moomin. Who, even after all this, loved him enough to take him somewhere that he knew he’d love. And all he could do was throw his arms around the troll.

“I love it.” He breathed, “And I love you. More than anything.”

“Ah!” Moomin stumbled, before wrapping his arms around the mumrik, “I love you too. So much. And I...I just wanted to say thanks. For coming here with me.” His voice caught in his throat, as his eyes started to well with tears, “I...I know things got kind of crazy. But I...I really did have a good time with you!”

Snufkin pulled away from Moomin, only to smother his face in kisses. Moomin squealed with delight, and almost fell over. But instead, he spun on his heel, swinging Snufkin around. Landing on his other foot, he spun again, swinging Snufkin to-and-fro.The two of them laughed in pure delight as they spun, not caring at all if they looked foolish. Finally, Snufkin’s feet found ground once more, and his forehead rested against Moomins. They laughed and laughed, holding each other all the while.

“Moomin.” Snufkin giggled, “My sweet, silly old troll.”

“Snufkin.” Moomin chuckled, “My funny old mumrik.”

Their laughter died down, and they just held each other. The bugs and birds sung a symphony for them as the couple enjoyed a special kind of bliss. The bliss of emerging through a difficult time, still together, and still in love. There, in the meadow, nothing could ruin their happiness.

“OI! This is a PRIVATE wild meadow!”

A bellowing voice made Moomin jump, while Snufkin just glared. It belonged to the same mustachioed man that had been so rude to Moominmamma earlier! His head was bandaged, and he had two growling dogs on leashes.

“Oh sod off.” Snufkin rolled his eyes, “Nothing belongs to anyone really.”

Upon seeing Snufkin, the park keeper’s eyes flashed with recognition.

“YOU! I REMEMBER YOU! You and that girl were the ones who set those fireworks on me!”

Moomin looked at him, “You did what?”

“Oh. Well...funny story that-”

“Brutus! Cleo!” The park keeper unleashed his dogs, “Attack!”

“Right then! Time to go!”

Snufkin grabbed Moomin’s paw and the two practically sprinted out of there! They tore through the path back to the beach, the attack dogs hot on their heels!  
Back on the shoreline, the Moomins were just about ready to go. They’d packed all their things, gotten the boat set up, and were just waiting on their boys.

“Now where are those two?” Moominpappa demanded, “Don’t they know time is of the essence here?”

“I’m sure they’ll be along, darling.” Moominmamma said, hoisting their things into the boat.

“Oh, be careful with those dear!” Moominpappa said, as Mamma hauled a rectangular box into the boat, “Those are the last of my fireworks! Quite special, you know.”

“The last ones you say?” Little My crawled on top of the case. “How very interesting!”

“Don’t you start now, Little My! I don’t want those going off in the middle of the sea!”

“Nothing will happen to your fireworks dear.” Moominmamma assured in her calm way.

“Mamma! MAMMA!” Moomin’s voice called in the distance.

“Moomin?” Moominmamma looked around for her boy.

In the distance, she could see him and Snufkin running to the boat. Behind them, were a pair of barking, snapping hounds!

“Oh dear!” She gasped, “Quickly, start the boat!”

Without a second to spare, she and Snorkmaiden pushed the boat into the sea. Moominpappa and Little My jumped in, Moominmamma and Snorkmaiden jumping in afterwards.

“Moomin! Snufkin!” Snorkmaiden called, “Hurry!”

Thinking quickly, Moomin ran ahead pulled Snufkin forward. With just one arm, he managed to throw Snufkin onto the boat!

“Wah!” Everyone jumped as Snufkin slammed into the floorboards.

“Ah..” Snufkin winced in pain from the rough landing, “Moomin...Moomin!”

He shot up to see Moomin wading into the water, but the dogs were barely an inch away from him! Snufkin watched in horror as the love of his life was about to be torn to shreds, and there was nothing he could do.

“EVERYONE DUCK!”

Little My suddenly yelled, before shooting off a fire rocket! Moomin had only a second to duck down before the rocket exploded behind him. He could feel its heat on his fur! Meanwhile, the dogs yelped and shot back, as Little My launched another one! The second explosion sent the poor pooches running.

“Little My!” Snorkmaiden gasped “How did you-”

Little My just blew out a match, “Thank me later!”

“Mamma! Pappa!” Moomin yelled, as he waded over to the departing boat.

“Hang on, son!” Moominpappa yelled back, throwing a rope out to his son.

Moomin grabbed on, as the waves attempted to push him back.

“Hang on tight, son!” Moominpappa grabbed the other end of the rope, “Come on everyone, pull!”

Everyone gathered around Moominpappa, and grabbed onto the rope, giving one big pull! Moomin lurched forward, the seawater hitting him in the face.

“It’s working!” He called, before his ears picked up the familiar sound of barking, the dogs were on their way back! “Ah! Hurry!”

“Hang on Moomin!” His mother called, as they all gave another mighty pull!

Moomin lurched forward again, he was so close! But the dogs were catching up! He turned his head to see their snarling faces as they ran into the water.

“Help!” He cried, “Mamma! Pappa! Snufkin!”

The family pulled once again, but it wasn’t enough! The waves seemed determined to beat him back! And their boat just kept on moving, increasing the distance between them.

“Moomin!” Snufkin grunted, as they pulled and pulled.

“S-Snufkin!” He cried.

Snufkin clenched his teeth. He’d just gotten Moomin back, he wasn’t going to lose him again! Summoning all of his strength, he gave one last, mighty pull that sent Moomin flying!

“Ah!” Moomin cried as he was pulled out of the water, landing in the boat.

“Moomin!” Snufkin rejoiced, taking the troll into his arms, “Oh thank goodness!”

“P-Pappa!” Moomin said, “Quick! Take the teller!”

“Aye aye sir!”

His father ran to the teller and set their course, leaving the dogs behind to be trampled by the waves!

“Moomin!” His mother cried, “Oh darling, are you alright?”

“I-I think so?” He stammered, “Ohh that was close!”

“You’re telling us!” Snorkmaiden kept her hand on her still-beating heart, “Thank goodness Little My thought so quickly!”

Little My grinned at the praise, “If it weren’t for me, you’d be dog food by now!”

“Quiet.”

Snufkin growled, only barely lifting his head from Moomin’s neck. Little My chuckled, but Moominmamma just sighed with relief.

“Thank goodness you’re okay darling.” 

She wrapped her arms around her son and Snufkin, holding them close. Snorkmaiden looked for a moment, before joining in. Moomintroll looked over to her, then his mother, then Snufkin, a bit overwhelmed. Even so, he relaxed, allowing himself to be drowned with affection.

“Alright, everyone!” Moominpappa called from the teller, “Set sail for Moominvalley!”

“Bleh, look at them!” Little My jumped over to Moominpappa, “They always have to cuddle when things go wrong!”

Moominpappa looked over to his family, all bunched together in a loving pile, and smiled.

“I know, isn’t it wonderful?”

\----------------------------------------------

Somewhere up north, the morning sun peeked over the sea to smile at an old house near the ocean. It was tall, and blue, and completely empty. It had been for quite some time. And, much like every morning, there was nothing it could do was sit and wait. So that’s just what it did. It’s lovely garden out front sat unattended, rustling softly in the morning breeze. The hammock tied to the tree swung a bit. The sea tickled the sandback in gentle waves. All was quiet as the first light of dawn crawled up the side of the house.  
But then, just over the horizon, a little dot appeared. It was quite a small thing, barely noticeable at first. However, it got bigger and closer as the wind pushed it to shore. As it came into view, anyone could see that it wasn’t simply a dot, it was a boat! A boat carrying a family of white, round creatures, and lanky big-nosed ones. The Moomins were finally home.

“Oh, Moominvalley!” Moominmamma swooned as the boat pulled into harbor, “It’s so good to be back!”

Moominpappa proudly puffed out his chest as the boat docked.

“And THAT, my family, is how it’s done!”

“Wonderful job, my dear.” His wife smiled at him, before climbing out of the boat.

Moominpappa followed after, a bit incensed that the captain hadn’t been the first to disembark! But he put it past him rather quickly. Next was Snorkmaiden, whose arms were practically overflowing with luggage! She had so many bags that made it rather hard to see, and she almost tripped trying to get out of the boat.

“Little My!” She called over her shoulder, “Carry my makeup bag, would you?”

Little My giggled mischievously as she grabbed it, “With pleasure!”

“You’d better not mess any of it up again, or I swear…!”

Little My only laughed as they walked back to the house, leaving Moomin and Snufkin alone in the little sailboat.

“Here we are.” Snufkin smiled, as he watched the family return to Moominhouse.

Moominmamma immediately went back to her little rose garden, trimming them with an air of true contentment. Moominpappa settled into his hammock, drifting off for a nice siesta. Snorkmaiden had dropped her luggage and tried her best to look angry as Little My smeared eyeshadow across her face. But she couldn’t hide her smile, and the two of them soon broke out into a fit of laughter. It all warmed Snufkin’s heart.

“Come on then.” 

Taking Moomin’s hand, he rose to leave. But his arm snagged, as Moomin refused to stand. Rather, he sat still in the boat, watching the horizon.

“I’m not quite ready to go yet.” He said, “I’d like to stay and watch the sunrise.”

Snufkin followed Moomin’s gaze, it _was_ quite a brilliant view.

“May I sit with you?”

Moomin smiled at him, “Always.”

Snufkin sat back down, wrapping his arm around Moomintroll. Moomin rested his head on the mumrik’s shoulder, and sighed contentedly. The two of them watched the sun rise over the valley, bathing everything in it’s glow. Neither of them felt any great need to say anything. After all, they were going to have the entire summer together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's on a wrap on my first longform multi-chapter fic! A big, heartfelt thank you to everyone who stuck with this fic! Your kudos and kind words kept this story and my motivation alive, and I can't thank you enough for sticking around for such a long time! Hopefully my next fic will go a bit smoother ;)


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